The 2020 Bears Offense Is Starting To Resemble The Infamous 2004 Offense

The Chicago Bears lost their third consecutive game on Sunday, losing to the Tennessee Titans 24-17. The Bears were scoreless through the first three quarters before scoring 17 points in the final quarter of the game. Head coach Matt Nagy has failed to build a successful offense during his three seasons as play-caller as the team's offense has gotten progressively worst this season and now resembles the 2004 Bears offense.

In 2004 the Chicago Bears had the worst offense in football as they finished dead last in the majority of all offensive categories. Following the season-ending knee injury to quarterback Rex Grossman in week three, Chicago's three quarterbacks for the rest of the season would only pass for eight touchdowns in 13 games. The offense as a whole racked up only 2192 passing yards on the season and 19 total touchdowns. Through nine games of the 2020 season, the Bears offense has scored 18 touchdowns on offense, but nine of those touchdowns came in the first three games of the season. Since quarterback Nick Foles became the starter in week four, the Bears offense has scored just nine touchdowns.

Other than the ineffective backup quarterbacks the team had in 2004, they also lacked a quality offensive line that struggled to protect and recorded a lot of penalties. Bears quarterbacks in 2004 were sacked a total of 66 times, while through the nine games of 2020, the Bears have allowed 23 sacks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKdOthWQqxI Nagy has faced growing criticism as the weeks have gone on as his play-calls and designs have proven ineffective. Since week four, the running game has been non-existent as they have only once produced more than 75 rushing yards. Furthermore, Foles and Mitchell Trubisky have both been highly inaccurate and looked unsure where to go with the ball several times this season. In 2004, the Bears experienced the same issues with offensive coordinator Terry O'Shea as quarterbacks Craig Krenzel, Jonathan Quinn, and Chad Hutchinson were highly inaccurate and looked confused on the field.

The Bears offense has steadily declined this season, with Sunday's loss to the Titans possibly being the bottom point. Whether it is the struggles of the quarterback, the offensive line's inability to run-block, or the playbook itself, the Bears offense looks completely lost. The fact that the Bears' offense is beginning to remind many of the 2004 offense is a bad sign as O'Shea was fired at season's end 16 years ago while Nagy may face the same fate at the end of this season.