The Chicago Bears had a pretty solid day on Sunday when they defeated the Detroit Lions 24-14. A week after they had one of the worst offensive outputs in recent NFL history, they managed to score touchdowns on their first two possessions and rack up 373 yards of offense.
A lot of that can be contributed to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who took over play-calling duties from head coach Matt Nagy. While Nagy didn’t announce this was officially happening beforehand (which is classic Nagy), it became very clear based on the formations and calls that Lazor was running the show. Lazor’s dedication to the run game paid off as the Bears rushed 39 times for 188 yards.
Rookie quarterback Justin Fields also had a better day than his debut. He looked more comfortable in a game in which he went 11-of-17 for 209 yards and one interception. Fields was more game manager than playmaker but that’s what the Bears needed from him as he learns and grows. The experience of these games will, presumably, help him out greatly in the long run.
Nagy has made it clear in prior weeks that Andy Dalton, who has missed the last two weeks with a bone bruise, is still his No. 1 quarterback and would be the starter if healthy. A lot of Bears fans have been clamoring for Fields to take over so that their quarterback of the future can get in some much-needed reps. The fact that Fields was putting up some numbers that the team hasn’t seen in a while seems like it should have made Nagy think twice about whether or not he’s going to stick with Dalton no matter what.
Matt Nagy is nothing if not stubborn, however, and he reiterated on Monday that Dalton is still his No. 1 quarterback if he is healthy.
As you might imagine, there were a lot of confused people wondering why Nagy is so intent on keeping Dalton as his starter when it seems like he’s finally got something going on offense with Fields in there. Is there a method to his madness or is he just mad?
Nagy better hope that when he puts in Dalton again that the Bears look good on offense and win. Because if they don’t, there won’t be much room left for him to hide and plenty of people are going to come calling for his head. The Bears travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders this Sunday and we’ll have to wait and see who is under center.