Bears seek to snap losing streak
When Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy coordinated the Kansas City Chiefs offense last year, he saw up close what it’s like for a team to go into a nosedive.
The Chiefs lost six times in seven weeks after a hot start, but eventually made the playoffs.
“There was never any panic, never, and there is not going to be any panic here either,” Nagy said.
Now Nagy is trying to make sure his Bears avoid a downward spiral as they try to avoid three straight losses Sunday at Soldier Field against Sam Darnold and the New York Jets, and to do it will require tweaking numerous problem areas.
Above all, they think it requires maintaining confidence in their approach.
“You’ve got to keep it real and you’ve got to understand that we’ve lost two games, prior to that winning three games,” Nagy said. “I reminded everybody on our team what I’m talking about. You’ve got to just stay even keel.”
It would be easier to maintain the straight and steady approach if they had the pass rush of earlier this season, as well as a running game like they had before Nagy arrived.
The running game hasn’t been reliable as Jordan Howard has gained 3.5 yards a carry, down from 4.2 yards at this time last year. Nor have they utilized it, as Howard has 90 carries, or 28 fewer than last year at this time.
“We feel like we need to create more of an identity there,” Nagy said.
Inexperience with the new blocking scheme is partly to blame.
“I think the thing it comes down to is all of us winning our one-on-one battles,” center Cody Whitehair said. “It takes all 11 players to have a successful run, which is something we’ve got to do.”
Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky’s knack for throwing into trouble areas, and the offense’s reliance on his scrambling led to an ugly description for where the Bears offense has gone.
“We gotta get better at the details,” Trubisky said. “We put up 31 points basically, as how I described it, as playing backyard football – me running around just trying to find completions and not being very sound with my footwork or dropbacks.”
Once the strongest aspect of the team, the defense is now faltering. But much has to do with Khalil Mack’s injured ankle. He failed to practice Wednesday and likely will be a game-time decision again this week.
“It plays its part,” safety Eddie Jackson said. “It definitely plays its part, especially when a guy like Mack when he’s out.”
While Mack hasn’t missed playing time, he resembles a shell of his former self in the words of the immortal Howard Cosell.
“I told him today we’re going to put you on our back and we’re going to continue to move forward,” Jackson said.
If the defense needs to help the offense, guard Kyle Long said the opposite is true. The Bears had leads but couldn’t keep them.
“We need to finish,” Long said. “We’ve had leads in all of (the losses) and we haven’t been able to score more points to extend the lead on offense.”
SERIES HISTORY: 12th regular-season meeting. Bears lead series, 8-3. The Bears have won the last four games, including 27-19 in 2014. The Bears won the last game in Chicago, 38-34 in 2010. The Jets last won a road game in the series in 1997, 23-15.