Cody Whitehair was a huge liability for the Chicago Bears in Week 6
Another disturbing trend seen in the game was terrible snaps from centers, Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick. Whitehair had issues with the Commanders and he was bad from the beginning. So bad, he was benched in the third quarter by Patrick, who was on concussion protocol the entire week. And Patrick was no better. Even more disturbing was the explanation made by Eberflus as to why he made the switch.
On the decision to switch from Cody Whitehair to Lucas Patrick at center, Matt Eberflus said the change was made because, with Tyson Bagent in the game, the Bears "thought it was best for our team to have the guy that had more experience in there playing center."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) October 15, 2023
Anyone who attended the game or saw it on television could see he was terrible. Why can't you admit he was not doing his job and made a switch? If Patrick was more experienced in terms of being a center, then why didn't he start from the beginning? His nonchalant answer was simply insulting to the fanbase and already proved that he is not a leader amongst men.
As for Bagent, the Vikings sacked him with a blitz and forced a fumble, which they scooped up and scored on his first drive. After that disaster, he settled down. He got rid of the ball quickly and relied on DJ Moore. He capped off a 9-play, 77-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run.
He had a chance to become a hero when the Bears defense who played well in the second half, forced three and out, and marched down the field on the final drive, taking them all the way to the Vikings' 35-yard line. However, just before the two-minute warning, his pass attempt to DJ Moore was severely underthrown and was picked off. Ball game.
The Bears should have waited until the two-minute warning, and taken some time before deciding which play to run. But that is more on this coaching staff, who again proved that they are incapable of in-game adjustments. Bagent came into the game and did his best in a less-than-ideal situation.
If Fields does miss several games, no one should be expecting Bagent into the second coming of Tony Romo or even Brock Purdy with more practice reps. He was poised and calm after the game, which should draw favorable impressions amongst jaded Bears fans and the media, who are ready to run Fields out of town. But let's see where he is after two to three weeks when the opposing defense will no doubt blitz more and will likely take more hits.
Sunday's loss once again puts everyone on the proverbial hot seat. Matt Eberflus is now 4-19 as a head coach. The Bears have not won a home game in over a year (385 days to exact) and are 0-8 against the NFC North. General manager Ryan Poles' decision to not address the center position deserves even more scrutiny and raises further questions about whether he should be allowed to pick his own coach and QB together.
Football has always been a game of momentum. The Vikings game definitely proved that. And the Bears failed to take advantage in a soul-crushing loss. And the injury to Fields could force an already apathetic fan base to tune out further with 11 games still remaining on the schedule.