6 best Bears games of Matt Nagy era

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By now, it seems a foregone conclusion that Sunday’s Week 18 matchup against the Vikings will be Matt Nagy’s last as Bears head coach. In a season where the team needed to show progress for Nagy to keep his job, they’re guaranteed to end with a losing record for the first time in his four years in Chicago. But we’re not here to rehash the bad, or where things went wrong. This is a space to remember the best moments over Nagy’s tenure as head coach. Scroll on to see the best moments of the past four seasons.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Week 4, 2018

Nagy came in to jump start the offense and help Mitchell Trubisky develop into a franchise quarterback. But the first three games of his career featured offensive performances that ranged from disappointing to decent. That changed in Week 4, when the Bears hung 48 points on the Buccaneers, powered by six Trubisky touchdown passes. Never mind that the Bucs featured one of the worst passing defenses in the league at the time. This was the offense explosion promised with the hire of Nagy, and things seemed to have finally turned a corner.

Bears 48, Buccaneers 10

Los Angeles Rams - Week 14, 2018

Coming off a loss to the lowly Giants, the Bears faced their biggest challenge of the season when the 11-1 Rams came to Soldier Field for a primetime showdown. By now, the defense had established itself as a top unit in the league, but they had yet to face an offense like Sean McVay’s. Not only did the defense rise to the challenge, they completely dominated. The Bears intercepted Jared Goff four times, sacked him another three times, and held Todd Gurley, who finished the year as the No. 3 rusher in the NFL, to a paltry 28 yards on 11 carries. The Bears were so successful at shutting down the Rams outside zone run game that their gameplan became a blueprint for other teams to beat them moving forward. After the game there was no question, the Bears had the most elite defense in the league, and maybe one of the best units in franchise history.

Bears 15, Rams 6

Green Bay Packers - Week 15, 2018

One week after putting the clamps on the Rams in front of a national audience, the Bears had a chance to lock up their first division title since 2010 against their archnemesis, the Packers. They didn’t squander the opportunity. In fact, the Bears won thanks to a few keys that became hallmarks of the season. Eddie Jackson intercepted Aaron Rodgers, which broke Rodgers NFL-record streak of most consecutive pass attempts without a pick. Trubisky didn’t light up the stat sheet, but completed a high number of passes, and leaned on Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen for scores. Most importantly, the defense came through and held Rodgers without a passing touchdown. The Bears reached an important milestone with two games left in the season and started gearing up for what they hoped would be an exciting playoff run.

Bears 24, Packers 17

Dallas Cowboys - Week 14, 2019

Following an incredible 2018, the Bears had stumbled in 2019. But sitting at 6-6, they had a chance to keep their playoff dreams alive facing the Cowboys, who also had a 6-6 record. Trubisky had arguably his best game of the season, scoring four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) for the only time that season, and completing over 70% of his passes for the second week in a row. After going on a four-game losing streak, the Bears seemed to have steadied the ship by winning four of their last five. But the big win was marred by concerning injury news for Roquan Smith. Four days later the Bears confirmed Smith had torn his pectoral muscle and was placed season-ending IR.

Bears 31, Cowboys 24

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Week 5, 2020

The lasting image of this game will always be Tom Brady holding up four fingers and looking confused after the Bucs turned the ball over on downs, sealing a Bears victory. But the Bears and Nick Foles put together a thrilling comeback after falling behind 13-0 midway through the second quarter. After a shaky start, the defense stepped up, limiting the Bucs to only two field goals, while forcing a fumble and two punts. Then, with only 2:21 left in the game, Foles manufactured a nine-play, 32-yard drive, to set up Cairo Santos’ game-winning kick. The Bears advanced to 4-1, before eventually falling apart. Meanwhile, the Bucs got their act together shortly afterwards, en route to a Super Bowl win.

Bears 20, Bucs 19

Detroit Lions - Week 4, 2021

Matt Nagy’s plans to develop Justin Fields behind Andy Dalton were derailed when Dalton injured his knee in Week 2. Fields’ first start was an absolute disaster. But one week later against the Lions, Fields looked far more comfortable, the offense was able to put positive plays together, and Fields got his first win as an NFL starter. We didn’t know it at the time, but this was also the game that convinced the Bears to name Fields the starter over Dalton moving forward. Fields understandably dominated most headlines, but other players stepped up as well. David Montgomery continued his strong start to the season with 106 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn also continued to make a case to be recognized as the best pass rushing duo in the league. Each man had a sack, bringing their combined total up to 8.5 in four games.

Bears 24, Lions 14

 

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