How did the Chicago Bears get here? How did this team go from a 12-4 roster in 2018 to a club that’s become almost Jets-like with the exception of a few lucky come-from-behind wins?
Sure, the Bears have a good defense. Or, they had a good defense. It certainly didn’t look like a playoff-caliber unit in Week 12’s loss to the Packers. And even if that was a flukey performance, the defense can only do so much. Coach Matt Nagy and (insert quarterback here) have to do their part and score some points. Otherwise, the losses will keep piling up.
Here’s the problem: Does anyone have any confidence in Nagy’s ability to figure it out? And about that whole quarterback thing? Is there anyone with a basic understanding of football who thinks Nick Foles or Mitch Trubisky can get the job done?
Even ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is shocked (maybe more appalled) by what the Bears are doing on offense in recent weeks. It came to a head Sunday night when Trubisky continued the same mistakes he’s been making since his rookie season. This time, it was his mechanics:
How?
How after 3 years in the #NFL and 5 weeks of sitting out can this still happen?
To the coach and the player-you either allow it or you coach it. @ChicagoBears this!! #NFLGamepass pic.twitter.com/85iZAdnzK2— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) December 2, 2020
Is there any reasonable defense of Trubisky, or even Nagy, for plays like this? If Trubisky is still throwing the ball like a junior varsity quarterback and Nagy hasn’t been able to fix him in his three years on the job, it’s time for both of them to go. We know Trubisky already has one foot out the door, and it feels increasingly like Nagy’s bags are packed too.
The Bears have a chance to get right in Week 13’s game against the Lions. But is that what Chicago’s fans want right now? Do they want a team that’s destined for a 7-9 or 8-8 record and that doesn’t have a foundation on offense to build off of?
That foundation has to come via the NFL draft and a first-round quarterback. The more meaningless wins the Bears accrue over the final five weeks of the season, the less likely they’ll land that quarterback in April. And that will be their biggest loss of all.
