Matt Nagy’s first win as a head coach should have come last week against the Packers, but instead a hobbled Aaron Rodgers stole the show with a comeback for the ages. Despite Russell Wilson’s best efforts, the Bears would not be denied this time around, notching their first win of the post-John Fox Era by edging the Seahawks 24-17 on Monday Night Football.
As the score would indicate, Monday’s matchup at Soldier Field was a defensive struggle. And by “defensive struggle,” I mean you probably switched to the Emmys halfway through. Neither offense eclipsed 300 yards and arguably the game’s biggest highlight came on a dropkick by an Australian punter. Monday’s game wasn’t much to look at, but remember, football is like pizza—even the worst slice is better than almost anything else.
After years of vanilla play-calling under John Fox, Nagy’s impact is already being felt. At times, the execution left something to be desired—second-year signal-caller Mitchell Trubisky remains a work in progress. But it’s clear that Nagy has some Doug Pederson in him, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering Nagy worked as Kansas City’s quarterbacks coach when Pederson was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. Nagy opened his bag of tricks on Monday night, unveiling gems like a direct snap to tight end Trey Burton, multiple RPOs, three handoffs to gadget wide receiver Taylor Gabriel and a bootleg to Anthony Miller for a 10-yard touchdown. The rookie head coach also dialed up a successful Jordan Howard run on fourth down, a risky endeavor considering the Bears were still in their own territory.
Chicago’s offense isn’t quite firing on all cylinders yet, but there have been signs of life. The Bears seem to be doing all they can to get Allen Robinson involved, as his 14 targets on Monday would suggest. That’s double the workload A-Rob saw in last week’s heart-breaker at Lambeau. Trey Burton also fared better this week, capping Chicago’s opening drive with a three-yard touchdown, his first as a member of the Bears. Burton was quiet otherwise—he finished with just 20 yards on four catches—but on a night where big plays were at a premium, his contributions loomed large. Another member of the Bears’ offensive ensemble, second-round rookie Anthony Miller, made his mark with a late touchdown and an onside kick recovery that put the finishing touches on Chicago’s seven-point victory.
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With few exceptions (last year’s Eagles being one of them), teams in the modern NFL will usually go as far as their quarterback takes them. In many cases, strong quarterback play will distract from other deficiencies a team might have. Aaron Rodgers, the long-time ring-leader of the flawed but consistently successful Packers, is a prime example. Which leads us to Mitchell Trubisky, a quarterback who probably had no business being drafted second overall last year, particularly with names like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson still available.
But Chicago took its shot, believing in Trubisky’s potential despite his inexperience—he made just 13 college starts at North Carolina, a school more known for its basketball pedigree than its football exploits. Trubisky’s lack of success relative to Watson and others in his rookie class could be the product of last year’s turbulence under lame-duck head coach John Fox. But with an improved supporting cast and Nagy now at the controls, there’s no more excuse for growing pains. It’s put-up or shut-up time for the 24-year-old and that sense of urgency has been apparent through his first two starts. After struggling with accuracy as a rookie, Trubisky has shown a much better grasp of the offense this year, completing 69.6 percent of his throws.
Of course, completion percentage hardly tells the whole story. Trubisky’s instincts continue to fail him as evidenced by his two interceptions Monday night. The first of Trubisky’s two picks came on a badly underthrown deep ball to Robinson while the second fell into the hands of second-year corner Shaquill Griffin (who was responsible for both interceptions) following a deflection by linebacker Mychal Kendricks. The turnovers were a setback for Trubisky, who was hoping for better results against the post-Legion of Boom Seahawks. On the plus side, the former Tar Heel was able to record his first career multi-touchdown game after falling short of that mark in his previous 13 starts.
Just as it did in Week 1, Chicago’s defense shaped the narrative with another excellent showing. But instead of collapsing like they did a week ago in cheese country, the Bears kept their foot on the gas for all four quarters. Khalil Mack was his usual dominant self, stuffing the stat sheet with five tackles, a sack and his second forced fumble in as many weeks. Prince Amukamara also came through with a late pick-six on a pass Russell Wilson intended for running back Rashaad Penny. The interception was the eighth of Amukamara’s career and his first since 2015.
Prior to Monday’s slip-up, Wilson hadn’t thrown a pick-six since his rookie year in 2012. That was a simpler time, back when the Legion of Boom was still in its infancy. Seattle was a year away from defeating Denver in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever and two years away from gifting New England another championship on the infamous Malcolm Butler play. The Seahawks were never the same after that loss and now just four years later, Seattle finds itself pressing the reset button. There’s no question this is a team in flux, a once-great franchise now in the throes of what could be a lengthy rebuild.
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Even when the chips are down, the Seahawks can usually count on Russell Wilson to make things happen. But without top receiver Doug Baldwin at his disposal (he’s out with a sprained MCL), Wilson looked surprisingly ordinary in Monday’s defeat. The veteran escape artist proved no match for the Bears’ swarming pass-rush, taking six sacks for a loss of 24 yards. He also coughed up two fumbles including a strip by Danny Trevathan that essentially put the game on ice.
Aside from Tyler Lockett, who led the way with 60 yards and a touchdown on five catches, it was a quiet night for Seattle’s skill players. That includes the backfield duo of Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson, who combined for just 54 yards on 16 carries. Penny won the touch battle but didn’t move the needle much with his 30 yards on 10 rushing attempts. After the game, coach Pete Carrol explained that Carson was “gassed” from playing special teams, which may explain why the second-year back didn’t see any touches after halftime. Maybe they can steal a win against the similarly dysfunctional Cowboys in Week 3, but nothing’s a given at this point for the reeling Seahawks. For the Bears, next week should be a layup against the hapless Cardinals, especially if Arizona sticks with Sam Bradford (55.6 quarterback rating) at QB.
Quick Hits: Hayden Winks covered this subject in greater detail in his fantasy fallout column, but the biggest headline from Monday was undoubtedly the Patriots’ acquisition of wide receiver Josh Gordon. An MRI on Gordon’s injured hamstring came back clean, paving the way for him to play Week 3 against Detroit. To clear a roster spot for Gordon, the Patriots waived Gordon’s former Cleveland teammate Corey Coleman … Carson Wentz will be back under center Sunday against Indianapolis after finally being cleared for contact. Wentz’s return from a torn ACL will send Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles back to the bench … Veteran deep threat Mike Wallace is expected to miss significant time after suffering a broken fibula in Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. With Wallace, Alshon Jeffery (shoulder) and Mack Hollins (groin) all on the shelf, Nelson Agholor and Zach Ertz should be the Eagles’ featured receivers in Week 3 … LeSean McCoy came out of Week 2 with “cracked rib cartilage,” which could affect his availability for Sunday’s game in Minnesota. Shady has been a disappointment to this point, managing just 61 yards on 16 carries with no touchdowns … DeVante Parker insists he was healthy enough to play despite being inactive for Sunday’s win over the Jets. Parker missed Week 1 with a broken finger but returned to full practice last Thursday. With Kenny Stills, Danny Amendola and Albert Wilson operating as the Dolphins’ top wideouts, Miami could look to move Parker before the October 30 trade deadline … Aldrick Robinson, known by most in the fantasy community as Lord Aldrick, has signed with Minnesota. The Vikings were looking for an upgrade on Laquon Treadwell, who is tied for the league lead with four drops … The Browns and Vikings both made changes at kicker on Monday. Cleveland dumped Zane Gonzalez in favor of Greg Joseph while the Vikes replaced fifth-round rookie Daniel Carlson with former Cowboy Dan Bailey. Gonzalez missed two field goals and a pair of extra points in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans while Carlson came up empty on all three of his attempts in a tie with Green Bay … The Rams also added a kicker by signing Sam Ficken. The Penn State alum will fill in for Greg Zuerlein, who needs a few weeks to recover from a groin injury he suffered during pregame warmups … Cam Robinson’s season is over after suffering a torn ACL in Week 2. With Robinson done for the year, the Jaguars will turn to Josh Wells at left tackle … Breshad Perriman finally resurfaced with the Redskins on Monday following his release from Baltimore earlier this month. Washington also took a flyer on Michael Floyd, who was among the Saints’ final cuts this summer … Titans coach Mike Vrabel said nothing has changed in regards to Marcus Mariota’s injury status. Mariota dressed for Sunday’s home game against the Texans but sat out due to a pinched nerve in his right (throwing) elbow. If Mariota can’t go against Jacksonville in Week 3, Blaine Gabbert would draw another start for the 1-1 Titans … Broncos coach Vance Joseph said the team will continue its “hot hand” approach at running back. Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman and Devontae Booker have all been getting work, though Lindsay, an undrafted rookie out of Colorado, has been the most successful with 178 yards on 28 carries (6.1 yards per attempt) … Cardinals coach Steve Wilks wants to get David Johnson more involved in the passing game by using him as a slot receiver. After seeing nine targets in the opener, Johnson only drew two looks from Sam Bradford in Week 2 … All-Pro safety Eric Berry could resume practicing this week after missing the past two games with a heel injury. Kansas City’s secondary could use a boost after yielding an embarrassing 860 passing yards in Weeks 1 and 2.
