In April of this year, I wrote an entire article about why I believed that Matt Nagy was not the right person to coach the Bears moving forward. I doubted his accomplishments as the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, citing numbers and statistics that explained away his success. However, one of the greatest things about sports (however much it bothers me), is that sometimes the numbers don't mean anything. The Bears beat the Green Bay Packers last week 24-17 for their tenth win of the season, clinching the division and a playoff berth in the process. In light of this, I am finally willing to admit that I was wrong about the Chicago Bears.
I fully expected the Bears to be a below-average football team again this year, finishing with somewhere between 4 and 8 wins. Coming off a season that did very little to inspire confidence, I expected the team to be more of the same. The defense would be above average, but the offense, led by Mitchell Trubisky, would once again be abysmal. In twelve games last season, Trubisky threw for 2,000 yards (less than 200 yards per game) seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, numbers that put him among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. I was ready to throw Trubisky to the wolves at the end of last season. I had no faith that he, even with a great running back tandem and a plethora of new receivers to throw to, could lead this team anywhere.
While Trubisky has had surprising moments this season, like his six-touchdown game against Tampa Bay, I was right about one thing: he didn't lead the team anywhere. The real heart and soul of this team has been the resurgent Chicago defense. Adding a generational talent as Khalil Mack has certainly helped, but that was only the start. Akiem Hicks has emerged as a premier defensive tackle, Roquan Smith has proven to be worth his ridiculous holdout, and Eddie Jackson and Kyle Fuller have been difference makers in the secondary by forcing turnovers and scoring touchdowns.
Unfortunately, but expectedly, Trubisky has not been as good as people hoped. As of writing this article, he has thrown for 2,814 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. These are pretty pedestrian numbers, and yet the Bears are still in the top 10 in the league in points per game. This is because Matt Nagy is an evil genius. Nagy has made an anemic at best offense into must-see football. While I personally see his schemes as more style than substance, you can't say that it's not entertaining to watch, and confusing for opposing defenses.
As good as this team has been this season, I still have a few concerns. The running game has been hit or miss, even with Howard and Cohen in the backfield. Matt Nagy's play calling can get a little too cute sometimes, such as the play action fake to the defensive tackle and the touchdown pass to the offensive lineman (no, I'm not kidding). And yes, Trubisky still needs to develop as a passer, and I have little faith that the quarterback can win a playoff game with his arm. If this team wants any chance to make some noise in January, the defense is going to have to be dominant and keep the Bears in the game.
Yes, the Bears have won their division and made the playoffs. Yes, I was wrong about the Bears. They have played better than I could've imagined, but I'm still skeptical that this success can be maintained in the playoffs. Against the premier teams in all of football, I expect the Bears to be exposed, but as a die-hard Bears fan, I desperately hope that I'm wrong once again.
