Chicago Bears: 4 Biggest surprises through first four games
Matt Nagy’s shift in the offensive scheme
I found the shift in Matt Nagy’s offensive scheme to be a bit surprising. When you look at how the team played in 2018 and 2019, the majority of the snaps came out of shotgun. Now this season, there has been a shift as the quarterback has lined up under center more often than in shotgun.
Furthermore, if we look at the formations Matt Nagy is running, there has been a shift there as well. In 2019, the Chicago Bears only ran out of the 12 formation (one running back and two tight ends) 11 percent of the time. As of now, the team has run this formation 19 percent of the time in 2020. Although this should not be that surprising because the team ran this formation 17 percent in 2018 and this roster has the best tight end group it has seen over Matt Nagy’s time in Chicago.
What makes all of this surprising is that I just never thought Matt Nagy would be willing to make such drastic changes. He clearly listened to his new assistant coaches when it comes to the run game. The Chicago Bears struggled running the ball last week versus the Colts, but that defense is ranked first in many categories and has put a stop to many running backs already. Nagy fell back into some bad habits in this game but I expect the team to sure things up before Thursday night.
Must Read. Three Chicago Bears to watch vs the Bucs. light
Final thoughts:
This team is very average. The defense has not made the big plays needed and there have been missed opportunities in every game. The offense has been anemic for more than 50 percent of each game. This game on Thursday could be a key shift needed for this team. If they scrap and find a way to win, they will move to 4-1.
If they are blown out and fall to 3-2 the team will have a more difficult hill to climb. As the Packers are rolling, losing this game could greatly affect the Bears’ chances of winning the NFC North.
Some might think Mitch Trubisky being benched already is a big surprise, but even as a Trubisky supporter I am not shocked this happened. Another possibility is how hot and cold Anthony Miller has been, but he’s been that way since joining the league. What other surprises do you think stand out this season?