The Chicago Bears offense people are witnessing may just look like another good offense to the outside world. To this franchise though, it has a chance to be historic. That’s not an exaggeration either. With nine games in the books, Matt Nagy has already established himself as one of the most proficient offensive minds this organization has ever seen.
Over the top? Maybe a little but it’s still true. Nagy is on course to do things his first year nobody has done…ever. Seriously. His offense is setting a pace at the moment that has a chance to rewrite huge swaths of the Bears offensive record book by the time this season concludes.
Looking at where things are, it’s possible that no fewer than six notable marks could change hands this 2018 season, both at the team and individual levels. What are they? Here is the list.
Chicago Bears offensive records Matt Nagy can top with seven to play
Total points scored: 456
The 1985 Bears are universally known for their great defense, and rightfully so. What nobody remembers is that their offense was equally great with Walter Payton, Willie Gault, Dennis McKinnon, Jim McMahon, and a dominant offensive line. That group remains the highest-scoring unit in team history. If Nagy’s group can keep its current pace, they will shatter it with 478 points.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Total yards gained: 6,109
Points are always the most important part, but people overlook how much of a statement the yardage record can be too. It signals that a team went up and down the field against every defense they faced. People don’t give the 2013 offense enough love because they didn’t make the playoffs but their 6,109 yards was a mark Bears fans had never seen before by a wide margin.
As of now, Nagy’s group would finish with 5,815 yards. That falls short of the mark but it’s within striking distance.
Passing yards and TDs by single QB: 3,838 and 29
Being a former quarterback himself, there is no question these are two of the most coveted single-season marks he’d want for Mitch Trubisky. Erik Kramer has owned both of those records since his excellent season in 1995. It’s crazy to think that no Bears QB has reached 4,000 yards or 30 TD passes given how often it happens these days.
Mitch Trubisky is positioning himself to change that narrative in one fell swoop. After his dismantling of the Detroit Lions, he would finish 2018 with 4,096 yards and 33 touchdown passes. Doing that in just his second season and the first year of a new offense? Impressive.
300-yard passing games: 4
Jay Cutler owns a number of Bears quarterback records, both good and bad. Perhaps the most unusual is he is the only one to ever throw for 300 yards in a game four times during the course of a season. All came during the 2014 season, which is hard to believe given how incredibly chaotic that year turned out to be. One could say he did a lot of his damage in garbage time given how often the Bears were blown out.
Trubisky could own this record by the end of business on Sunday night against the Vikings. He’s already thrown for 300 yards in four games this season. He has seven games left to do it just one more time. It’s hard to imagine he doesn’t accomplish that goal.
Receiving yards by a RB: 808
Matt Forte was the best receiving running back of his era. He had some of the most natural hands one could imagine on any player. The Bears used them extensively in 2014. Not only did he set an NFL record with 102 catches, but he also set a franchise record with 808 yards. That was 201 more than the previous mark held by Walter Payton.
Nobody thought that record could be challenged again, much less by a part-time player. Yet Tarik Cohen is just that sort of special talent. He’s actually leading the team with 437 yards receiving through nine games. He would finish with 776 yards as things stand, just 32 shy of Forte’s mark. So it’s definitely doable.
