So, the Chicago Bears took home a victory on Sunday over the Detroit Lions and Justin Fields secured the starting job going forward, right Matt Nagy?
Not so fast.
Despite completing five passes of more than 20 yards and proving he can do so accurately and on a rope, Fields’ job is anything but safe right now.
Monday morning, head coach Matt Nagy talked to the media and was asked the number one question on everyone’s minds. His answer as to who his starting quarterback is going forward? Let’s just say, nobody is surprised at this point.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is simply asking to be fired with his latest announcement.
Matt Nagy said the Bears intend to start Andy Dalton on Sunday if he's deemed healthy, and Justin Fields would return to his role as the backup.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) October 4, 2021
The Bears hope to have a greater grasp of where Dalton's knee injury is by Wednesday, Nagy said.
Let’s get this straight.
The Bears’ offense snapped back from a dooming loss a week ago to the Cleveland Browns and did so in admirable fashion. Their 188 rushing yards were the most in a game since their Week 14 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams back in 2018.
Bill Lazor called a phenomenal game which resulted in a big play on one out of every four pass attempts by Fields. Some of the throws Fields made could never have been completed by Dalton, and Nagy has to know that.
This offense was dynamic and exciting for the first time in over a year, and now Nagy wants to triple-down on Andy Dalton being his starter when healthy. The arrogance is seeping from every inch of his body.
In what world do you take a guy who couldn’t even score with Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Ezekiel Elliott, and others, and start him over the No. 11 overall pick who just balled out in only his second start?
At this point, one has to wonder if a couple of things are becoming real — even though they sound like a joke.
First, does Nagy have it out for Fields for some reason? Somehow, Nagy watched the film from yesterday’s game and immediately thought, “Nope, back to the bench.”
The Bears were number one in the NFL in explosive plays in Week 4.
Re-read the above sentence and tell me one good reason why Fields should go back to the bench.
Above all else, Nagy wants to be fired. There is no other logical explanation for what he’s continuing to do. Sticking with Dalton over Fields is the equivalent of the Pittsburgh Steelers opting to start Benny Snell over Najee Harris for the entirety of this season.
It’s the equivalent of the Cincinnati Bengals thinking, “You know what? Ja’Marr Chase has had a tough offseason and took a year off. We should give him just a few opportunities per game, and that’s it.”
The hilarity of Nagy’s sticking with Dalton can’t even be put into words. At this point, this is all about him. It’s all about Matt Nagy, and he’s made that crystal clear.
This isn’t about the Chicago Bears. This isn’t about Justin Fields. It’s not even about Andy Dalton. This is about Matt Nagy, and Matt Nagy only. That’s what this has become.