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The Bears’ season finale vs the Minnesota Vikings perfectly summed up what the Chicago Bears were this season. The first half of the game saw the Bears jump out to a 14-0 lead with stifling defense and a Bears offense that was just good enough to get into good field position for scoring opportunities.
We also saw what the Bears were most of this season: a team incapable of putting up points and committing to a running game with a top 5 running back. The Bears defense was also incapable of getting defensive stops when it mattered and simply gave up on other plays(looking at you Jaylon Johnson & Eddie Jackson).
The Bears had 7 possessions through 3 quarters in which they were at the Minnesota 35 yard line or better. The result was one touchdown and 3 FGs. The Bears also went for it on 4th down six times and failed on all but one. Particularly egregious was Bears QB Andy Dalton taking a sack on two 4th & 1 plays and throwing a pick-6 on another that sealed the Bears fate. What was so jarring about those two 4th & 1 plays was RB David Montgomery was not on the field for those plays. Montgomery averaged 3.8 yards per carry all season and yet head coach Matt Nagy didn’t trust his best offensive weapon to get 1 yard.
The Vikings outscored the Bears 28-3 in the second half for a 31-17 win. That loss for the Bears dropped their record to 6-11 and surely spelled the end of the Matt Nagy era as head coach. After a 12-4 season that saw Nagy win Coach of the Year honors in 2018, he has amassed a 22-27 record in 3 seasons. Nagy’s inability to properly evaluate talent, adjust his philosophies to his players’ strengths and inability to make adjustments will be his downfall. Nagy quite frankly was too stubborn to get out of his own way.
Matt Nagy isn’t the only one who should be shown the door though. Bears GM Ryan Pace is equally culpable for this disastrous year. He was the one who signed QB Andy Dalton to a $10 million contract. Pace is the one who also couldn’t evaluate talent and missed on more draft picks than he hit.
So what now? Outside of the NY Giants, this Bears organization is a complete mess from top to bottom. As I write this, Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy are still employed by the Bears. The ineptitude of this organization is embarrassing. This is the charter franchise of the National Football League. George Halas, the Bears’ founder, helped start the NFL. His name and face are synonymous with the NFL. That his franchise is in this much disarray is unforgivable. There has to be a complete rebuild of the Bears from top to bottom but here’s the thing – I don’t trust the McCaskey family to do what needs to be done.
Here’s more post-game reaction from NBC Sports Chicago’s The Football Aftershow:
WSCR’s Laurence Holmes also shared his thoughts on the Bears’ season finale:
The Bears are a lost organization. The key to rebuilding means the McCaskey family must step aside and allow football people to run the football side of operations. They must realize they own the charter franchise of the NFL in the nation’s 3rd largest market. Simply put the McCaskeys need to get out of the way when it comes to football decisions. If they don’t then we will continue to have these conversations year after year. And as proud and deep as Bears Nation is eventually there will be a breaking point when fans say enough is enough and stop supporting this team. I believe we’re at that point. It’s time for the McCaskeys to grow up and be real owners. I just don’t believe they can do it.
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