Changes the Bears Need to Make Sooner Rather Than Later

Life has come at the Chicago Bears fast in the 2020 season.

A 5-1 start has quickly become a 5-4 record, with an upcoming Monday Night Football matchup against the surging Minnesota Vikings threatening to drop the team to .500. With the wheels quickly coming off and a national TV appearance around the corner, the Bears are running out of time to right the ship. 

Matt Nagy and Co. have run into a litany of issues that precipitated the fall from grace. The latest disappointment coming in the form of a 24-17 loss to the Titans in which they were down 24-3 in the fourth quarter before two late touchdowns served as window dressing. 

It's easy enough for fans to say the offensive line stinks, the quarterback play is bad and the coaching is terrible and call it a season. The fact remains this is the same roster that got off to that 5-1 start, and the players and coaches know their job security is on the line. 

So if the Bears are to rally and make this season competitive again, there are some things that need to happen sooner rather than later.

A New Play-Caller

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If Matt Nagy wants to save his job, he may need to reduce it first. 

He was brought on as the head coach in 2018 based on his work with the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Three years later, the offense in the Windy City looks nothing like the ones he coached as a coordinator. 

The unit is 31st in yards per play, 28th in points per game and 32nd in rushing yards per game. 

There are obvious personnel issues that make putting together an elite offense impossible, but a competent one shouldn't be out of reach. Nagy has even alluded to a potential change in play-callers. 

"Where we're at right now as an offense, struggling the way we are, you have to be willing to look at everything, including myself," he told reporters. "So we'll see where that goes. We play Monday, we will make the best decision possible here. I think that's part of some of the decisions we look at, for sure."

There's evidence that quarterback Nick Foles has been frustrated by his coach's play-calling at times. Specifically, ESPN's Brian Griese's comment on a broadcast that the quarterback doesn't trust the plays coming in at times because he knows he won't have time after the snap. 

Foles later said that was a miscommunication, but it's unclear what's PR cleanup and what's legitimate. 

The Bears staff has three coaches with play-calling experience: Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, passing game coordinator Dave Ragone and quarterback coach John DeFilippo.

It's clear Nagy's feel for the offense isn't as in tune as it needs to be, so handing play-calling responsibilities to one of those guys could give the offense the spark it desperately needs. 

Run the Ball

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The Bears' battered offensive line is bad. There's no disputing that. Not only have they failed to protect Nick Foles, surrendering 12 sacks in the last three games, but part of the problem is that opposing defensive lines are able to pin their ears back and tee off on the pass rush. 

That's bound to happen when Foles attempts over 50 passes. 

David Montgomery has struggled to make an impact this season. Granted, he rarely has running lanes to work with, yet he's asked to carry the load week in and week out. He has taken 131 of the team's 200 carries, the next highest total is Cordarrelle Patterson—a converted receiver—with 29. 

Now Montgomery is in concussion protocol this week, and the Bears could be forced to spread out the carries. Among those backs who should get a look is Ryan Nall. The Oregon State product has yet to register a carry this season but had four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown in Week 9. 

At 6'2" and 239 pounds, Nall is a big back who may be able to grind out some yardage even with poor blocking. With Patterson and Lamar Miller also on the roster, the Bears should look to get creative and try to get to the outside with the run game. 

It may be a fruitless endeavor, but forsaking the run game completely has already been the course of action by the coaching staff, and that hasn't worked either. 

Unleash Cole Kmet

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Rookie tight end Cole Kmet has been targeted nine times this season. On those attempts, the quarterbacks have posted a passer rating of 145.3. 

Yet Kmet was targeted just once in the loss to the Titans, and the Bears are only using 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) on 16 percent of their snaps, according to Sharp Football Stats. 

Utilizing Kmet and 12 personnel more often could be a boon for the entire offense. For one, it offers them more blocking if they are to commit to running the ball more. Having two tight ends on the field gives them the opportunity to outnumber the defense at the point of attack and force them to account for any shifts or motions pre-snap. 

It's also proved to help the passing game. According to Sharp's numbers, the Bears have a 69 percent success rate in passes out of the grouping. That's astronomical compared to the 41 percent out of the 11 personnel they are usually in. 

It's understandable to bring a rookie like Kmet up slowly, but at this point, he might be the injection of life the offense needs to start scoring some points.