They say sometimes a game and even a season can be determined by one call by a head coach. That's why these men get paid so much money. They are supposed to have the intelligence and courage to make bold decisions to pull out a win. Most people didn't recognize what Matt Nagy did against the Detroit Lions at the time. They were too deflated to notice because of the offensive struggles. The head coach knew it and was in danger of letting it get out of hand.
Not this time though. Apparently tired of the passive mentality and flawed execution, Nagy decided to just chuck conventional wisdom into a flaming trash barrel. After Mitch Trubisky hit a six-yard pass on 3rd and 7 to set up 4th and 1 at their own 29-yard line with four minutes left in the half, most expected yet another punt from the Bears. The coach knew the game was in danger of getting out of hand. Detroit held a 6-0 lead and would have time to chalk on more.
So he sent his offense back onto the field. Not only that but he went old school Bears football, throwing in an extra offensive lineman for good measure. There were no cute misdirections. Nagy was sending a message to his guys. It's one yard and quite possibly the season. Go get it. David Montgomery got the ball and powered his way for two yards and a first down.
Matt Nagy and the offense seemed to wake up after that
After that play, the Bears offense struck for 9, 8, 14, and 11 yards in noticeable chunks. Then with 32 seconds in the half, Mitch Trubisky delivered his best pass of the afternoon on a post route to the end zone for Ben Braunecker. A beautiful 18-yard strike for a touchdown that put the Bears ahead. One could almost feel the sigh of relief from both the quarterback and the rest of the offense. They'd gambled and they'd capitalized when it worked.
Coming out in the second half, they stayed hot with two more touchdown drives, both ending with nice Trubisky passes. It wasn't a perfect afternoon by any stretch, but it got the Bears a badly-needed victory. Like it or not, Nagy was a huge reason for that happening. If the Bears had elected to punt in that situation, it's hard to imagine the offense ever really getting unstuck. Instead, they found some momentum and did something with it. Hopefully, this might serve as a catalyst for more good play in the future.
