Tag: matt nagy

Bears DT Akiem Hicks could play vs. Chiefs or he could wind up on IR

With the Bears eliminated from playoff contention, DT Akiem Hicks acknowledged that it “changes perspective” a bit.

While last week marked the bitter end of the Bears’ playoff hopes with a deflating 21-13 loss to the Packers, there was a silver lining in the heartbreak: The return of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks.

Hicks was activated off injured reserve on Saturday and started Sunday against Green Bay, where he fought through the pain of his re-aggravated elbow injury. More than that, his impact was felt on the field, even as he essentially played with one arm.

Now that Bears have been eliminated from playoff contention, it’s fair to believe that shutting down Hicks for the season would be what’s best. Ultimately, that’s for the Bears to decide. But if you ask Hicks, he’s determined to finish out the rest of this season with his teammates.

“It’s about the boys, man,” Hicks said Tuesday. “It’s about being out there with your guys. I love competition. I love competition. I love riding with my guys.

“You would laugh to imagine some of the things that guys play through in this league. There isn’t a week that I can remember where my body felt 100 percent. It’s kind of customary. You’re used to playing through injury.”

With the Bears eliminated from playoff contention, Hicks acknowledged that it “changes perspective” a bit. While Hicks could wind up suiting up Sunday night against the Chiefs, he could also realistically end up on injured reserve.

“There’s no decisions made,” Hicks said. “I’m brought here to play football, so when my number is called, that’s what I do. What comes after that, we don’t know. We’ll see going forward.”

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POLL: Who wins Week 16 contest between Bears and Chiefs?

Mitch Trubisky vs. Patrick Mahomes. Matt Nagy vs. Andy Reid. Bears vs. Chiefs. Who wins?

When the Chicago Bears host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football, there will be two teams headed in different directions in January.

The Chiefs, who won the AFC West, will be preparing to make a run in the playoffs. The Bears, on the other hand, will be preparing for a long offseason with a laundry list of needs to address and questions to be answered.

Still, this is a game that is not short on storylines. This isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last time this week, that you’ll hear about this game as the Mitchell Trubisky vs. Patrick Mahomes game. That there needs to be a game played to validate that the Chiefs choose the better quarterback. It also won’t be the last time you hear about Matt Nagy vs. Andy Reid, as Nagy faces off against his former mentor.

With nothing left to play for, aside from pride, there’s still a lot to be gauged from these final two games. Can Trubisky rediscover what made him magic in the last two games? Will Nagy adjust his offense? Will there be any reassurance about the run game heading into the offseason? How will the Bears defense fare about Mahomes?

Who wins on Sunday?

VOTE!

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What does Matt Nagy think about Mitchell Trubisky’s play-call comments?

Following Mitch Trubisky’s post game comments about play-calling, Matt Nagy shut down any controversy and praised their close relationship.

Following a loss, there’s clearly frustration immediately after the game. We’ve seen it now twice with Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky following two brutal losses to the Packers.

When Trubisky was asked about the Packers’ pass rush, the conversation deviated to an honest assessment of Sunday’s game plan and play selection. It’s a quote that has been — and will continue to be — dissected throughout the entire week.

“I felt like we could have taken more pressure off them moving the pocket a little more and me getting out — but they’ve done a great job of that all year long, and that’s what they hang their hat on, and they did that today,” Trubisky said after the game. “We’ve just got to find ways to take pressure off our O-line with a good pass rush like that, continue to mix it up, whether it’s screens, running it, draws. All that kind of stuff that helps.”

At first read, it sounds like criticism of Matt Nagy’s playcalling. It also sounds like a frustrated quarterback who knows what he does well — and doesn’t do well — and wanted to see more play calls designed accordingly.

There’s no denying that Nagy’s playcalling was a major issue in Sunday’s loss to the Packers, especially considering that it felt like a carbon copy of the season opener where they abandoned the run and passed way too often. But it felt even more frustrating considering the offense seemed to have hit its stride over the last two weeks.

Nagy was asked about any disconnect in his relationship with Trubisky, after those postgame comments. But Nagy chalked it up to frustration following a brutal loss.

“I’m saying, if you sensed a frustration, I think I know Mitch better than anybody in this building except maybe [quarterbacks coach] Dave Ragone,” Nagy said. “So I know the effect or what he means by any of that. I think probably, if I’m going back and watching that, it’s probably very general and big-picture. But it’s also right after the game. So I take nothing by that, and we have a great relationship.”

Following Trubisky’s comments, it’s a valid question to wonder if Trubisky voiced those concerns to Nagy on the sideline during the game. It’s likely a question Trubisky will be prompted to answer during his weekly press conference Wednesday.

As for Nagy, he said that there is communication through the game on the sideline between he, Trubisky, Ragone, offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich and backup quarterback Chase Daniel.

“I think for all of us, just the biggest thing is just trying to do it together and execute everything that’s there,” Nagy said. “It’s just, for whatever reason, it felt a little bit more [Sunday] with just the negative plays and just not staying ahead of the chains and then not scoring. Again, we couldn’t get that run game going early on.”

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Will Bears DT Akiem Hicks play Sunday vs. Chiefs?

Despite the fact the Bears are eliminated from playoff contention, Matt Nagy won’t rule out DT Akiem Hicks’ playing Sunday vs. Chiefs.

Bears defensive tackle Akiem Hicks’ return to the starting lineup wasn’t without its struggles.

There were several times throughout Sunday’s 21-13 loss to the Packers where Hicks was in visible pain from his recovering dislocated elbow. But he stuck it out through the game — and he made his presence known even as he was playing with essentially one arm.

Hicks expects to finish this season, even despite the obvious discomfort after re-aggravating his elbow injury. That’s just the competitor in him. But if Hicks is good to go, Bears coach Matt Nagy insists that Hicks will play.

“We want to continue to just keep going forward with him like we’ve been,” Nagy said Monday. “I don’t look at [being out of playoff contention] as changing anything with that.”

With the Bears eliminated from playoff contention, there’s nothing left to play for. You’d expect the Bears to shelve a cornerstone member of their defense to get him healthy for 2020. But that might necessarily be the case with Hicks.

“We’ve gotta talk through all that, and I think that’s the biggest thing — making sure that we’re all on the same page,” Nagy said. “But I know Akiem’s gonna want to be out there playing and helping our defense as much as he can.”

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Bears open as 4.5-point underdogs vs. Chiefs in Week 16

With the Bears reverting back the struggles that have defined their season, Vegas isn’t confident in Chicago’s chances against the Chiefs.

The Chicago Bears (7-7) will host the Kansas City Chiefs (10-4) in their final home game of the season, and these teams couldn’t be headed in more opposite directions.

With the Bears officially eliminated from playoff contention, the Chiefs have repeated as AFC West Champions and in firm control of their playoff destiny. That, and they have their franchise quarterback in Patrick Mahomes. The Bears, however, still don’t know what they have in Mitchell Trubisky, even though he’s looked better over the last month.

The big stories of this matchup will clearly be Trubisky vs. Mahomes, as well as Matt Nagy vs. Andy Reid, as Nagy will face his former mentor for the first time in the regular season.

While the Bears offense looked to have made strides against the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys, they resembled the offense in the beginning of the season in Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers.

With the Bears reverting back the struggles that have defined their season, Vegas isn’t confident in Chicago’s chances against Kansas City.

The Bears have opened as 4.5-point underdogs against the Chiefs, according to BetMGM.

After their playoff hopes were dashed, Chicago is left playing for pride in these final two games of the season.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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3 reasons why the Bears lost to the Packers in Week 15

The Bears suffered a crushing defeat from the Packers, which eliminated them from playoff contention. Here are 3 reasons why they lost.

In the biggest game of their season, the Chicago Bears (7-7) came out flat against their rivals the Green Bay Packers (11-3), who marched one game closer to the playoffs while the Bears were officially eliminated.

No matter how you look at it, Sunday’s 21-13 loss was an ugly one. Offense, defense — well, maybe not special teams, even if the refs would have you believe it.

But there were plenty of reasons for the Bears’ devastating loss. Here are the biggest three reasons:

1. Nonsense “kick catch interference” call on Cordarrelle Patterson in first quarter

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

Contrary to the “kick catch interference” call made by referees early in the first quarter of Sunday’s game, Cordarrelle Patterson’s hit on Tramon Williams was perfectly-timed and perfectly-executed. Patterson is having an All-Pro season as a special teamer for plays just like that.

While this wasn’t the only reason the Bears lost, it was a big reason why considering how it altered the game moving forward.

If the right call is made — which is a no call — Patterson’s hit jarred the ball loose, and the Bears offense would’ve gotten the ball on the Green Bay 35-yard line rather than the Packers getting the ball on the Chicago 35-yard line, which is exactly what happened.

The Bears would’ve had an opportunity to jump ahead to a fast start, which is something that has happened over the last two games that has been a big indicator in their success. If Chicago is playing with the lead, you have to believe it changes their gameplan moving forward. That, and the Packers weren’t gifted an early touchdown.

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Bears vs. Chiefs will remain on Sunday Night Football in Week 16

Following speculation that Bears-Chiefs would be flexed out of primetime in Week 16, the game will remain on Sunday Night Football.

As the 2019 NFL season approaches the end of the regular season, there are plenty of games remaining with playoff implications. Just none that feature the Chicago Bears.

The Bears have officially been eliminated from playoff contention, following Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers and a Minnesota Vikings win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Bears are slated to face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football in Week 16. But heading into Week 15, there was some speculation that the NFL could opt out of that matchup if the Bears lost to the Packers, since Chicago’s season would be over. But the NFL has opted to stick with Bears-Chiefs in primetime on Sunday.

As far as candidates for that primetime spot, an NFC East game between the Dallas Cowboys (7-7) and Philadelphia Eagles (7-7) was one, but instead it will remain in the 3:25 p.m. slot on FOX.

Then there was a showdown between the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans, but that game seemed to lose steam following the Titans’ loss in Week 15.

This Bears-Chiefs primetime matchup still has plenty of storylines that will be a draw, despite the lack of playoff implications considering the Bears are eliminated and the Chiefs have already locked up a spot.

This game will surely be dubbed the Mitchell Trubisky vs. Patrick Mahomes game, where the top two quarterbacks selected in the 2017 NFL Draft will face off for the first time.

Then there’s Matt Nagy vs. Andy Reid, where the student will square off against his mentor for the first time in a regular season game.

Given the Bears have been eliminated from playoff contention, they’re left playing for pride and the future beyond 2019.

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Did Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky call out Matt Nagy’s play-calling vs. Packers?

Following Sunday’s loss to the Packers, Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky was upfront about his thoughts on the offense’s gameplan, play selection.

Following back-to-back impressive performances by the Chicago Bears’ offense, they came out with a dud in the most important game of the season against the Green Bay Packers in a 21-13 loss Sunday at Lambeau Field.

Just when it appeared that progress had been made for a unit that has struggled to find any footing throughout most of this season, they reverted back to their disjointed ways with their playoff hopes on life support. Now, they’ve officially flat lined.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky wasn’t pleased with the offense’s performance, and he shouldn’t have been. But when questioned about the Packers’ pass rush, he has upfront about his thoughts on Sunday’s game plan and play selection.

“I feel like they were pretty good,” Trubisky said of the Packers. “They had a really good front. I felt like our O-line played really well. I thought we could have taken more pressure off them [by] moving the pocket a little more and me getting out… We’ve just got to continue to find ways to take pressure off our O-line. With a good pass rush like that, [we need to] continue to mix it up, whether it’s with screens, running it, draws — all that kind of stuff helps.”

It seemed like shots fired at head coach and play-caller Matt Nagy. When asked to clarify his comments, Trubisky made it clear.

“Could’ve done a lot of stuff, yeah,” he said.

This isn’t the first time Nagy has been questioned as a play caller this season. While there is plenty of blame to go around — including Trubisky — for the offense’s struggles, you could argue that the play calling was a brutal blow especially for a unit that seemed to have finally found its stride.

But everything that didn’t work against the Packers in Week 1 appeared to replicate in Sunday’s loss. Nagy reverted back to the conservative kind of playcalling that got them losses this season.

Lack of a run game; Trubisky throwing for 45+ times (53 on Sunday); not rolling Trubisky out of the pocket; forcing gadget plays that result in a loss of yardage on first down.

Everything that the Bears offense seemed to do well over the last couple of weeks, they couldn’t manage it against Green Bay in Week 15, and as a result, Chicago found themselves eliminated from playoff contention.

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Instant analysis of Bears’ 21-13 loss to Packers

The Bears suffered a heartbreaking 21-13 defeat to the Packers, which all but ended their playoff hopes.

The Chicago Bears’ late attempt at a comeback against the Green Bay Packers fell short as the Bears lost 21-13 at Lambeau Field on Sunday.

For all intents and purposes, Sunday’s game against the Packers was a playoff game for the Bears. But it still ended in heartbreak for Chicago, as it usually does against Green Bay.

The Bears’ (7-7) playoff hopes are all but dashed with the loss — and they can be officially eliminated later today with a Vikings win or tie or even a Rams loss.

The Bears have now lost seven of their last eight games against the Packers, and Green Bay has now won 17 of the last 20 games in this decade against Chicago.

Believe it or not, there was a chance for the Bears on the final play of the game. After Tarik Cohen lateraled it to Mitchell Trubisky, who lateraled it to Jesper Horsted, the rookie tight end had a chance to win it for Chicago. If Horsted would’ve pitched it to receiver Allen Robinson, the Bears would’ve scored an improbable touchdown and had a chance to tie the game with a two-point conversion.

But the game was lost long before that final series, where the Bears offense couldn’t muster anything until the fourth quarter when it was all but too late. Kind of similar to the season opener.

The Bears offense was coming off two of its best games all season, but they couldn’t put it together against Mike Pettine and the Packers defense until it was too late. While the Bears offense mustered 429 total yards of offense, they were only able to put 13 points on the board.

Defensive tackle Akiem Hicks made his grand return, but he was clearly struggling with his elbow injury throughout the game. Still, Hick finished with four tackles and two quarterback hits. Outside linebacker Khalil Mack was a virtual no-show minus one tackle for loss in the fourth quarter. As was noted “Packer Killer” Leonard Floyd, who finished with one tackle.

The Packers jumped out to a 21-3 lead heading into the fourth quarter. But as desperation set it, Trubisky and the Bears offense cut the lead to a single score — 21-13 — following a field goal and then a 67-yard touchdown drive.

But still, it wasn’t enough.

After two fantastic games, Trubisky was brought back down to Earth by the Packers defense. He finished 29-of-53 for 348 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions, one of which was a Hail Mary at the end of the first half.

While the Bears entered 2019 with Super Bowl aspirations, it looks as if their season is all-but-over with yet another loss to the Packers.

Packers preparing for Bears DL Akiem Hicks to play Sunday

While the Bears are hoping for DL Akiem Hicks’ grand return Sunday, the Packers are expecting it.

The Chicago Bears are hoping that defensive lineman Akiem Hicks will make his grand return Sunday against their rivals Green Bay Packers. But the Packers are fully expecting it.

“We’re anticipating him playing,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday. “He’s just a guy that you have to account for on every play. He’s a dominant performer and he has been for a while. Just have to be mindful of where he’s at every time he’s out on the field.”

Hicks has been on injured reserve since Week 5 after dislocating his elbow against the Oakland Raiders. He returned to practice last Sunday, and if all goes well he should be activated off IR.

Bears coach Matt Nagy said Hicks participated in practice Wednesday, although it’s worth noting that Wednesday practices are typically walk-through pace. Still, Nagy sounds optimistic that Hicks will return from IR.

“I think we have a good idea,” Nagy said. “None of this is live, again. None of practice is live … Most of it is just communication with him saying, ‘Hey, this is how I feel,’ Trainers saying, ‘This is where he’s at,’ and then creating a plan if it’s something where, if it’s something we’re going to do — which we’re hoping —— then let’s create a plan for it and roll.”

Hicks’ return would surely solidify the middle of that defense. But it would mean so much more than just what he brings to the field physically. He’s one of the leaders of this team.

“I think it’s big, just because he’s one of our more vocal guys — in a good way,” Nagy said. “He’s a leader — he’s a natural-born leader. Take the play out and what he does on the field — just rallying the guys this week in practice, being around and then on game day, you guys always see him out there. He’s a guy that gets everyone going.”

The Bears would greatly benefit from Hicks’ return as they look for redemption against their rivals following that Sept. 5 season-opening loss.

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