The Chicago Bears lost 24-17 to the Tennessee Titans in their Week 9 matchup. It was another terrible day for Chicago’s offense, as they did not score for the first three quarters and their two touchdowns came in garbage time. The offense was also responsible for one of the Titans touchdowns, as David Montgomery fumbled and Tennessee returned it for a score. Here are 3 takeaways from Week 9 for the Bears.
It is time to give up on Foles
One of Week 8’s takeaways for the Bears was “Nick Foles is not the answer”. That still rings true, as he had another disappointing game against the Titans. However, it might even be time for the Bears to totally move past Foles and make Mitchell Trubisky, once again, Chicago’s starting quarterback.
Foles is incredibly inconsistent, and his apparent advantages over Trubisky have not been displayed this season. Foles is supposed to be the superior quarterback throwing the deep ball and reading defenses, but he has not proven it. Against the Titans, he went on a 10-throw stretch where he only gained a total of 17 yards. A quarterback that can read a defense and throw the ball downfield should not be doing that.
Despite his struggles, the lackluster Bears offense is not completely Nick Foles’ fault. Between an atrocious, depleted offensive line and a poor head coach and play caller in Matt Nagy, Foles cannot be expected to play like a superstar. However, this is one of the exact reasons to play Mitch Trubisky.
Trubisky is the more dynamic option. Foles is unable to scramble, with a total of one rushing yard through six starts and seven total appearances. Meanwhile, with only 2.5 games under his belt, Trubisky has the second most rushing yards on the Bears. Therefore, with Trubisky at quarterback, the Bears running game would improve.
The Bears offense is one of the worst in the NFL and shows no sign of improvement. Something clearly needs to change, and with the trade deadline passed and head coach Matt Nagy unlikely to be fired with a winning record, the change starts with the quarterback.
Allen Robinson has every right to be frustrated
One major storyline for the Bears this season has been contract negotiations with Allen Robinson. The star wide receiver, on the last year of his contract, has yet to re-sign with the team, despite the petitioning of fans and teammates for a new deal.
It is somewhat of a mystery why the Bears have not re-signed Robinson yet. He is their only legitimate offensive threat at the moment and deserves to be paid. However, watching the Bears offense recently, his hesitancy to re-sign is becoming more understandable.
Against the Titans, Robinson was targeted four times in the first 40 minutes of the game, with only two receptions for 11 yards. He was never given a chance to show his ability until the very end of the game. Instead of throwing to Robinson and giving him the opportunity to make a play, head coach Matt Nagy and quarterback Nick Foles preferred to throw short routes that rarely gave the Bears a chance at a first down, much less a sustained drive.
This has clearly bothered Robinson. He took to Twitter after the game, posting a representation of his feelings.
— Allen Robinson II (@AllenRobinson) November 9, 2020
It seems Robinson is unhappy with the play calling and his minimal targets. He has every right to be, and this is quite possibly a reason why he has not agreed to an extension with the Bears yet.
This should be Matt Nagy’s last year in Chicago
The Bears offense against the Titans was downright pathetic.
Facing one of the worst defenses in the league, the Bears managed to put up 0 points through three quarters, with their only two touchdowns coming in garbage time. Against the 32nd ranked 3rd down defense, Chicago went 2-15 on 3rd downs. This is not to mention that the Titans were missing their best defensive player, Jadeveon Clowney.
A variety of factors and players can be blamed for this poor performance. The offensive line played terribly and Nick Foles was inefficient. However, Matt Nagy is ultimately most at fault.
Nagy’s unimaginative play calling shown through against the Titans. The Bears averaged a measly 5.8 yards per pass and 2.8 yards per rush. He frequently made poor decisions in key situations, as demonstrated by Chicago going 2-15 on 3rd downs. Beyond one fake punt, he did nothing to seriously try to catch a mediocre Titans defense off-guard.
Nagy’s offense not only struggled to move the ball, but made many mistakes. They had two turnovers, one of which was returned for a touchdown by the Titans. Three times, they were in field goal range but unable to come up with any points.
Matt Nagy continued a pattern of terrible play calling and coaching that has been obvious throughout the season. His offense consistently ruins the great work of Chicago’s defense. If the Bears want to be serious contenders and have an even average offense, Matt Nagy needs to go.
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