The Chicago Bears’ offensive woes have been growing every week, culminating in last weekend’s horrendous performance in a 26-6 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Bears averaged just 1.1 yards per play and garnered just 47 yards total. Rookie Justin Fields’ first start was a disappointment but a lot of the blame was placed on head coach Matt Nagy, who called the plays for him and didn’t seem to adjust his gameplan when Andy Dalton went down with an injury.
Nagy has said that he still considers Dalton the No. 1 quarterback, Fields the No. 2 quarterback, and Nick Foles as the No. 3 quarterback. However, all three of them are working out this week to determine who will play on Sunday. Dalton’s return timeline is unknown and Fields suffered a hand injury during Sunday’s game. However, it might not even matter which one of them starts if Nagy’s play-calling doesn’t improve.
Wednesday, Nagy was asked to provide more information about who would play and whether or not he’d consider handing over play-calling duties. He was his usual cagey self, although he did drops a few hints about both.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy: "We expect both Andy and Justin in some capacity at practice today… In regards to the depth chart with them, Andy is the 1, Justin's the 2, Nick is the 3."
Nagy adds that they've had conversations about play calling duties, but he'll keep internal.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 29, 2021
Nagy said on Wednesday that the team “expect both Andy and Justin in some capacity at practice today.”
From NFL Now: The #Bears QB situation remains in flux, but Andy Dalton (bone bruise) being out there at practice adds a wrinkle. pic.twitter.com/PnVB62MzWR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 29, 2021
As far as his play-calling, Nagy admitted that it was pretty fair to criticize his work this season.
“The criticism is fair,” Nagy said, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The coach then added that he is “going to keep it internal” when asked who will call plays on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor took over play-calling late in the 2020 season when the team struggled, so it’s entirely possible that could happen again.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.