There’s a real possibility that Matt Nagy won’t be on the sidelines when the Chicago Bears host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Nagy tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, and he’s been away from Halas Hall all week, conducting press conferences through Zoom and watching practice on an iPad from a secret location.
When meeting with reporters Friday, Nagy said he’ll know Sunday whether he will coach his team against San Francisco. NFL rules require vaccinated individuals to have two negative tests 24 hours apart in order to return to their team.
So if Nagy tests positive on Saturday, he cannot coach Sunday.
Matt Nagy just refuses to offer detail about his coronavirus diagnosis, when he could return, or even how he’s feeling.
He said he will know Sunday whether he will coach. Actually, if he tests positive tomorrow, there’s no way he could coach Sunday, per league rules— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) October 29, 2021
If that’s the case, it’ll be special teams coordinator Chris Tabor serving as acting head coach in Nagy’s absence. Tabor has taken over team meetings this week while defensive coordinator Sean Desai and offensive coordinator Bill Lazor have worked with their respective units.
As for Nagy, he’s prepared to watch the game on TV from…somewhere.
“If I end up not being there on Sunday, I’m not so sure yet other than just planning on [that] I’ll definitely be watching it,” he said. “I’m just not so sure as to what size TV or where. I’ll have to choose that on the day of the game.”
Nagy has come under fire following Chicago’s 35-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which has many calling for his job. While the Bears are unlikely to fire a head coach mid-season, this could give us a look at a team without Nagy.
Chicago is looking to snap a two-game losing streak against a 49ers team that’s lost four straight. But they’re going to need strong performances from all three phases to get it done.
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