Chicago Bears: How Matt Nagy turned the 2020 season into a nightmare
The second installment examining the Chicago Bears nightmare 2020 season, we look at Matt Nagy’s role.
The Chicago Bears thought they could compete for a playoff spot in 2020. After finishing with a 12-4 record and the NFC North division title, they struggled last season and finished 8-8. There were a number of very close games so they thought that a little tweaking of the roster would result in a few more wins and a successful 2020 season.
None of that happened.
The season started out well, with the Bears starting out 5-1 after six games. Then next six games, however, have been like a punch in the gut. Chicago is in the midst of a six-game losing streak and they went from atop the NFC to out of the playoff picture. In order to get back in, they likely need to win their last four games and get help from other teams.
In my last article, I wrote about how general manager Ryan Pace had a hand in the downward spiral. His moves (and non-moves) contributed greatly to the season’s downfall.
Pace wasn’t the only one making moves that didn’t work. Head coach Matt Nagy had a hand in the nightmare. His on-field decisions haven’t resulted in anything positive. He was supposed to be a quarterback whisperer but Mitch Trubisky still hasn’t developed into a good quarterback. For the past two seasons, his offense ranked at or near the bottom of nearly all categories.
Let’s take a look at what Nagy did to make the Chicago Bears’ 2020 season a nightmare.
Matt Nagy is inspirational but failed to deliver success on the field
One of the best aspects of Nagy is his ability to lead men. He is definitely a player’s coach. His players would run through walls for him. They play hard for him, no matter what. Out of the 44 career games Nagy coached in Chicago, the Bears have had 31 of them end by one possession.
The problem with Nagy is that he hasn’t had sustained success on the field. Ranking near the bottom of nearly every category eventually takes a toll.
In 2018 and 2019, the Bears were 12-9 in those close games. As they continued to struggle offensively, they’re losing some close games. This season, they are 5-5 in games decided by a possession, and they’ve lost their last four.
The rah-rah works for a while but you have to sustain some success to keep it going. While his players may love him, they don’t love struggling and losing. If you can’t sustain any success, the same players will eventually turn off the coach. You can’t keep talking about being great and continually fail to succeed. It appears that’s exactly what is happening to the team at the moment. They are in a downward spiral and there doesn’t seem to be an end until the season ends.