Chicago Bears: Matt Nagy could still be head coach next season

It’s not a foregone conclusion that the Chicago Bears will let Matt Nagy loose.

This has been a frustrating season. First, the Chicago Bears and the rest of the NFL had to deal with the COVID-19 virus. Players around the league, including the Bears’ defensive lineman Eddie Goldman, opted out of the season. Goldman’s absence created a hole right in the middle of the line.

Then the team raced out to a 5-1 start. The Bears were atop the NFC and hopes were flying high. Reality hit hard, however, as Chicago fell into a tailspin and lost six consecutive games to give them a losing record at 5-7. They saw the offense ground to a halt. The line couldn’t block, the running backs couldn’t run, and the quarterbacks couldn’t throw. Then, when the offense showed signs of improvement, the defense collapsed. Whatever hopes fans had for the playoffs went out the window.

The Bears did end that losing streak in Week 14, beating down the Houston Texans. With the Minnesota Vikings losing, those playoff hopes are reignited by some. The Bears face the Vikings next so the winner keeps their faint hopes alive and the loser prepares for next season.

During the losing streak, fans called for just about everyone to get fired. The calls were for President and CEO Ted Phillips, general manager Ryan Pace, and head coach Matt Nagy. They also want half the roster to get fired as well.

Matt Nagy’s time with the Chicago Bears is up — or is it?

After struggling to get his offense going, many people speculated that Nagy was definitely gone. He came to Chicago as an offensive guru and a quarterback whisperer. During his tenure, the Chicago Bears’ offense ranks near the bottom in nearly every category. Additionally, young quarterback Mitch Trubisky is as uneven today as he has been since his rookie season.

No matter what happens in the last three weeks of the season, there will be changes to this team, from the roster all the way up to the front office. Does it still include Nagy, though?

There is some talk now that Nagy could survive the turmoil. He has support from his players and his coaching staff.

As bad as things have gone, the players are still playing hard for him. Yes, some people accused the defense of giving up against the Packers but that was an anomaly. Teams will always have games in which one unit of another struggle. However, the Bears have been in nearly every game this season despite the losses piling up. Here is what linebacker Danny Trevathan said about Nagy, per 670 The Score:

"We like the man that’s in charge ahead of us, our head coach. So, when we go out there, we’ve got to make him look good."

One of the things people like about Nagy is how even-keeled he is. That is what running backs coach Charles London likes about him, via the same piece from 670 The Score:

"I thought Matt actually did a great job of staying even-keeled. He didn’t change anything. He was who he was. Everybody knew the situation we were in and the saying was just enough is enough. I thought he did a great job of leading the team.I think a lot of times in situations like that, guys try to outside of themselves and try to do things they wouldn’t do. But I thought Matt stayed the course and guys responded."

Some feel that the newfound success of the offense in the past three games is the catalyst for Nagy to save his job. We’re starting to see how well the offense flows when the pieces fit together.

Against the Texans, Trubisky’s passing, David Montgomery‘s running, the tight ends, Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet, and the offensive line doing its job showed how good this offense can really be. Of course, the offense is doing well against inferior defenses, so is the improvement real?

Some think the Bears bring in a new President who knows football operations. Phillips wasn’t a football guy but a money guy. The McCaskeys loved him despite only three playoff wins on his resume. The reason for that was he was a good fiscal guy.

If the McCaskeys hire a good football person to run operations they could let that person make the decisions on both Pace and Nagy. Pace’s history with early-round draft picks and his handling of signing players to help the offense are some things that hurt him. He might be the scapegoat for the struggles.

Nagy had trouble with playcalling duty and was too stubborn to hand that responsibility over. He finally did, and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor added some wrinkles to help improve the offense. Nagy is still involved with the game plan and helps in calling the plays so his fingerprints are still there. Plenty of good coaches have their coordinators call plays. Andy Reid did that with some of his assistants, even with Nagy.

It’ll be interesting to see if Nagy survives Black Monday (the day after the season ends when a lot of coaches around the league get fired). With new faces at the top, they might want to see what he does without Pace. If there is one person who can survive the purge that’s coming, it could be Nagy.