How the Bears have played after the bye week under Matt Nagy

For Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy, losing streaks have become common with his team. This season marks the third time in three straight years the Bears have lost at least four games or more in a row. Through weeks 5-9 in 2019, the Chicago Bears lost four straight and went winless in October. In 2020, from weeks 7-13, that winless streak extended to six straight games.

Nagy’s team is on the verge of keeping that winless streak alive this Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, especially since Chicago is coming off its bye week.

Since 2018, here is how the Bears have performed following their week off.

How have the Chicago Bears done after the bye under Matt Nagy?

Let’s take a closer look at what happened in each of the Bears’ losses after the bye week.

2018 Week 6: Bears 28 @ Dolphins 31

With the sun glaring down and the heat reaching up to 88 degrees, it was evident the Chicago Bears were out of their element at Hard Rock Stadium. The Dolphins accumulated 541 yards of total offense, and quarterback Brock Osweiler threw for 380 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the victory.

Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky finished with 316 passing yards, three touchdowns and an interception on the day. But the Bears matched the Dolphins with three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) and also committed six penalties for 58 yards.

The Bears’ defense also did a terrible job of tackling in this matchup, and edge rusher Khalil Mack injured his ankle early on in the game. Full game highlights can be found here.

2019 Week 7: Bears 25 vs. Saints 36

This game started off badly right from the beginning. After the Chicago Bears went three-and-out on the opening possession, Pat O’Donnell’s punt was blocked and O’Donnell batted the ball out of the end zone, which resulted in a safety. Not even two minutes passed and Chicago was down, 2-0.

Despite not having starting quarterback Drew Brees and running back Alvin Kamara, the Saints still had 424 yards of total offense. Backup Teddy Bridgewater threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns. And second-string running back Latavius Murray ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns.

The Chicago Bears, however, finished with just 17 total yards rushing. The struggles on offense also continued with wide receiver Anthony Miller and running back David Montgomery both having a fumble.

The 36-25 score made the game seem closer than what it actually was, especially since two of the Bears’ touchdowns came after Chicago was down 36-10, with just over four minutes left in the fourth quarter. Full game highlights can be found here.

2020 Week 12: Bears 25 @ Packers 41

This Sunday night blowout at Lambeau Field was the worst of the losses coming out of the bye week. The Packers started off the game with three straight touchdown drives, and Aaron Rodgers completed 21 of his 29 passes for 211 yards and four touchdown passes. The Packers made it a 41-10 game with just over a minute left in the third quarter.

In Mitchell Trubisky’s first start since being replaced by Nick Foles, Trubisky turned the ball over three times (one fumble and two interceptions). Chicago also committed five penalties for 45 yards.

On defense, the Chicago Bears failed to sack Rodgers and also didn’t force any turnovers. And defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s unit didn’t force a punt until the opening series of the second half. Full game highlights can be found here.

Setting Matt Nagy’s record after the bye week aside, the franchise as a whole has struggled in this area. In fact, the Bears have not won a game after the bye week going all the way back to 2013 — a 27-20 win over the Packers in Week 9. Can the team turn things around vs. the Ravens this weekend?