Ryan Pace's Job Reportedly May Depend On Result Of Saints Game

The Chicago Bears have a ton of question marks surrounding them. That might be shocking to many considering this team is in the playoffs. Context is king though. The Bears are an 8-8 football team. This after starting 5-1. So they're actually 3-7 in their last 10 games. Not exactly a stat that inspires confidence. They were rolled for the second-straight time by Green Bay. There just isn't a lot to be optimistic about. That is why speculation continues to circulate regarding head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace. Are they both safe? Are they both gone? Only George McCaskey can answer that. The team chairman hasn't met with the media since before the season. So all people have to go on are rumors. Everything to this point indicates nothing is decided. Though a picture is beginning to form. What exactly? Brad Biggs spoke to Mully & Haugh on 670 The Score about it.

Based on what he's hearing, a lot could be riding on the game in New Orleans.

"I tend to think Nagy is probably on steady ground as you look ahead to next season. I'm not as convinced about Pace but if they could go out and beat the Saints on Sunday afternoon, then I think it's a situation where all those guys are back."

Pace's status has been iffy for months now. There is an undercurrent of belief that the Bears are far more likely to move on from him than Nagy. This due to his notable misfires that have set the team back be it Mitch Trubisky, Nick Foles, or Robert Quinn among others. Though the roster does have some promising young talent, it hasn't been enough to move the needle. Now the prominent veteran talents he acquired like Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks are getting older. The team seemed to be trending in the wrong direction from where they were in 2018. A lot of it thanks to Pace's failure to find a valid starting quarterback. Does McCaskey want to give him another chance to find one given the current track record? It's an all-important question. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3Ssll6Kh9w&t=1s&ab_channel=ChicagoBears

Ryan Pace could see his plans finally undone by his old team

It seems rather fitting. The Bears bucked the trends in 2015 when they hired Pace from New Orleans. He seemed to have the right idea on how to modernize the organization. There was a plan in place. It took some time. He had to overhaul a fractured and aging roster. Yet by the spring of 2017, things were falling into place. He had some promising talent on the roster. The Bears were selected #3 in the draft with three potential QBs to choose from. In a cruel twist of fate, he fell in love with the only one incapable of playing at a high level in the NFL. Trubisky is an average quarterback. Not bad. Average. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, whom Pace passed on, are superstars. It cannot be overstated how big of a blown opportunity that was. One the Bears continue to pay for.

Most GMs never get a second opportunity.

This is likely why Ryan Pace is begging the Bears to pull off a miracle in the Superdome. Losing for the second week in a row to one of the best teams in the NFC will be a bad look. Especially if it's lopsided as a lot of people predict it will be. Pace was hired to get the Bears to that level. A loss would prove he failed in that mission. That is why it might be time to move on.