The Chicago Bears came into their matchup with the Carolina Panthers with a record of 4-1, but media, fans, and analysts were still questioning this team’s credibility. The Bears were considered the underdog even though they had the better record. The Bears took down the Panthers 23-16. Once again, the win wasn’t pretty, but it did put their record at 5-1 and atop the NFC North.
The Good:
The Bears defense won this game, especially their red-zone defense, the one thing you can call elite on this team. The Panthers had three opportunities to score touchdowns, but the Bears defense only allowed one. This will kill the spirit of any team and prevents the offense from keeping any flow going.
The Bears’ offense was inconsistent again. QB Nick Foles (23-39 198YDS 1TD 1INT 5CAR 4YDS 1TD 77.6QBR 70.2RTG) wasn’t amazing but did lead this team and made big plays when the Bears’ needed them. The run game is still stuck, but this was a better performance than last week. The Bears ran for 63 yards on 25 carries, so at least head coach Matt Nagy tried to get it going this week. And the Bears may have finally found a kicker worth having. K Cairo Santos (3-3FG 2-2XP) was quite good and should’ve gained some trust from his teammates and head coach Matt Nagy.
The Bad:
Matt Nagy and his maddening lack of clock management. It started with the first drive; the Bears took a time out and still got a Delay of Game directly after. Luckily, Foles bailed out Nagy by throwing a touchdown on the next play. I don’t care much about first-half timeouts, but this one almost cost the Bears valuable points. It was a total waste as the team still didn’t know what they were doing and got a five-yard penalty.
Nagy kept it going at the end of the game. All the Bears had to do was cling onto a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter. All they had to do was run the clock down. Instead, Nagy decided to call a pass play on third down rather than a run. The pass was incomplete, and the Panthers were left with 1:32, plenty of time to make it downfield. The Bear’s defense saved Nagy with an interception, and Foles knelt to end the game.
Matt Nagy can’t keep making these coaching mistakes because the Bears can’t always bail him out. Sooner or later, he is going to make a call that will cost the Bears a win. This is not the first time we have seen this “end of game management” from Nagy, but it is an easy fix. Run the ball and take as much time off the clock and stop putting so much pressure on this defense.
The Bears head off to take on the Los Angeles Rams, who are coming off a tough loss to the San Francisco 49ers. The Bears’ 5-1 record isn’t a fluke, but they better be prepared for the Rams’ talented rosters and coaching staff.