5 Chicago Bears that gave optimism Week 1
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Chuck Pagano
It is arguable that the true loser of the Bears first game was Matt Nagy. He looked tight and did not put his quarterback in the right spot. However, the arguably biggest winner is Chuck Pagano.
All offseason we debated the differences between Vic Fangio and Chuck Pagano. Many seemed to think the defense would take a step back due to losing Fangio. However, Pagano showed in Week 1, that while his head coaching stint did not go well, he can still coach a defense.
Think about Week 1 last year. The innovative Matt Nagy cooked up a great game plan, but the defense of Fangio slowly saw a lead slip away.
In this game, it was Nagy who could not get out of his own way while Pagano impressed on defense, holding the Packers to 10 points.
Through one week, the Bears defense is better than the year before.
The Bears are going to mix blitzes, and even alignments more often. They are going to gamble for sacks and picks. Yes, the Bears are 0-1. However, if the defense truly does make more plays this year, it could equal a similar record to 2018.
In an ugly game, be optimistic that Chuck Pagano called a great game.