They had one job. All Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace needed to happen was avoid a blowout loss in Green Bay to the Packers. People who understand recent Bears history know it was the 55-14 debacle in 2014 that got Marc Trestman and Phil Emery canned at the end of that season. George McCaskey tries to be patient on most things, but embarrassing losses to the Packers is something he can’t stomach.
Nagy and Pace just needed to keep this game close. Even a tight loss wouldn’t necessarily doom them. Instead, they put together a horribly fitting first half. One that saw Green Bay cruised to a 27-3 lead at one point before a late touchdown with 19 seconds left made it 27-10. It was exactly the sort of listless, uninspired showing fans have come to expect from this team over the past few months.
Nothing has really changed and that’s the issue.
The inconsistent effort. Sloppy mistakes. It would be one thing if the other team was just out-executing the Bears. What makes it so much worse is the Bears seem eager to help them with their laundry list of self-inflicted wounds. That is what poorly-coached teams do. For all the motivational skills Nagy has, the inability to get his players to play with discipline is a persistent feature of his past two seasons.
As for Pace? Not much needs to be said at this point. He built a good defense in Chicago, but his misfires on offense have been nothing short of disastrous. Mitch Trubisky is a bust at quarterback. The offensive line has fallen into disrepair. Anthony Miller hasn’t progressed. Allen Robinson is fixing to take his ball and leave in free agency. Jimmy Graham was overpaid. The list goes on.
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After tonight it’s likely the man stares down his fifth season in six years without a playoff appearance.
Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace are on a countdown clock now
People were still convinced McCaskey would hesitate to pull the trigger on firing those two despite the team’s recent struggles. Perhaps out of a mixture of liking both men and also the entire COVID-19 thing. However, it’s important to remember the Bears chairman stated clearly he expected this team to win in 2020. He never committed to either man in any long-term sense.
He wanted to know which team they were. The 2018 one that rampaged to a division title or a middling one with no offense? He now has a definitive answer. As usual, it’s the Packers who put on the finishing touches. No team has proven to be a better barometer for good or bad Bears coaches than Green Bay. Dave Wannstedt? Dick Jauron? Marc Trestman? John Fox? All failed the test. Now Nagy has as well.
If you can’t beat the Packers, you aren’t winning a Super Bowl.
That is how it always works in Chicago. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace have failed to recognize that. Nagy is 1-5 against the rivals up north. Pace is 2-9. Not much more needs to be said. These guys aren’t getting the Bears where they want to go. It’s time to go find somebody who can.
