5 takeaways from Bears’ new offensive coaching staff

There’s plenty to unpack here, given the direction of Matt Nagy’s new offensive coaching staff, including the value of experience.

The Chicago Bears officially announced the new additions to Matt Nagy’s coaching staff, which includes a continued overhaul on offense.

Nagy confirmed the hirings of Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator and John DeFilippo as quarterbacks coach, as well as the promotion of Dave Ragone to pass game coordinator. They joined previously-announced coaches Juan Castillo (offensive line) and Clancy Barone (tight ends).

There’s plenty to unpack here, given the direction of Nagy’s hirings. Here are my five takeaways from the new additions to the Bears’ offensive coaching staff:

1. Fixing the offense a major priority this offseason

Ask anyone about what doomed the Bears in 2019, and the answer will be an overwhelming chorus focused on the offense. While the Bears offense didn’t need to be a top-10 offense to live up to expectations, they needed to show progress in Year 2 of Matt Nagy’s system. Instead, they ranked near the bottom of nearly every statistical category.

Naturally, someone had to take the fall. And it wasn’t going to be Nagy. So it’s easy to assume that the firings of offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, offensive line coach Harry Hiestand and tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride were an attempt to pawn off the blame for the offense’s struggles. But it feels like it’s more about accountability at this point.

The offense needs to be significantly better this season than it was in 2019. It’s as simple as that. If not, Nagy’s seat will grow even hotter.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ season finale win vs. Vikings

The Bears’ season finale vs. Vikings provided a snapshot of the issues plaguing Chicago all season. Our final takeaways of the 2019 season.

The 2019 Chicago Bears ended their season in Minnesota for the third time in four years, and they beat the Vikings 21-19 on a last-minute field goal by kicker Eddy Pineiro, who had four on the day in all. They finish the year 8-8, good for third place in the NFC North, and begin an offseason with more questions than answers at this point.

The victory seems hollow, however, with no postseason plans and the Vikings resting most of their starters. The Bears defense still forced three turnovers and had a safety, but the offense showed more of the same, unable to convert those turnovers into touchdowns.

This game provided a snapshot of the Bears’ issues plaguing them all season. Here are my five takeaways from this season finale.

1. Matt Nagy has lost faith in Mitchell Trubisky

The big topic this offseason will center around how the Bears will handle Trubisky. Will they pick up his fifth-year option? Bring in competition? Look to trade him? All good questions that will be answered at a later time. But looking at this game and season specifically, Nagy clearly doesn’t trust his quarterback to make the plays needed to win.

In a game with nothing to lose, Trubisky completed 26 passes for 207 yards, averaging 5.6 yards per pass. He was again inaccurate when he did throw deep and struggled against second and third stringers on the Vikings defense. Nagy’s playcalling has come under fire, and for good reason. However, how can he open up the playbook if his quarterback can’t make the throws?

The Bears offense is a mess and they’ll finish the regular season ranked near the bottom in every statistical category. It’s not just one person, but this disconnect needs to be addressed in the offseason.

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5 takeaways from Bears’ 24-20 comeback win over Lions

The Bears defeated the Lions 24-20, as they improved to 6-6 on the season. There was plenty to digest from this Thanksgiving game.

The calendar may have said Thanksgiving, but it was beginning to feel a lot like September as the Chicago Bears have a winning streak for the first time in two months, beating the Detroit Lions 24-20 to improve to 6-6 on the season.

Both teams landed blows on their first two drives, scoring touchdowns to make the score 7-7. The Lions attempted to pull away but never led by more than 10 points. Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky then led his team to touchdown drives in the third and fourth quarter, putting the Bears ahead for good, while the defense survived a last-ditch effort from rookie quarterback David Blough, making his first NFL debut on the national stage.

Like sides at a Thanksgiving dinner, there were many different takeaways from this game, such as the continued strong play of inside linebacker Roquan Smith, what’s going on with special teams and Chris Tabor, how the referees could miss a blatant roughing the passer call on Trubisky, or how valuable wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson is to this team. But here are my 5 takeaways that stuck out to me most during this latest Bears win.

1. Mitchell Trubisky finally played like it was 2018

Ever since he suffered his shoulder injury back in 2018 when the Bears defeated the Vikings, Trubisky simply hasn’t been the same. Prior to the injury, he had been on a heater, throwing for over 300 yards four times in six weeks and averaging a quarterback rating of 112.3 during that span.

After over a year, he finally returned to that form, at least for one game, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns with a 118.1 quarterback rating. For the most part, Trubisky looked sharp, leading the Bears to their first opening-drive touchdown since Week 4 and orchestrating a 90-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter that ended up being the game winner.

His day wasn’t perfect, as he did look timid at times while running and under-threw wide receiver Allen Robinson on a crossing route, resulting in an interception, but it’s clear this was easily his best game since last year’s win against the Lions at Soldier Field. The question is, can he build on it and string together these types of performances to mount one final playoff push?

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