(670 The Score) After pulling off an unlikely comeback win Sunday, the Bears have an important immediate decision to make regarding coach Matt Nagy's job status.
While it seemed like the organization may have been destined to fire Nagy on Monday morning to take advantage of a new NFL rule that will allow teams to begin interviewing head coaching candidates in Week 17, the Bears showcased their character and commitment in overcoming a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to earn a 25-24 win over the Seahawks on Sunday. The victory lifted the Bears to 5-10 and may also have created a more awkward situation for chairman George McCaskey and the team's board of directors.
Tuesday marks the first day that NFL teams can begin interviewing coaching candidates on the condition that their head coach has been fired or informed of his impending dismissal. It’s a new policy that was implemented in late October with the goal of giving more candidates -- specifically minorities -- more exposure in a hiring cycle that moves fast and often gets hectic. Teams with vacancies will be allowed to conduct virtual interviews with candidates once Week 17 begins, so long as they receive permission from the organization with whom the candidate is under contract with. The rule basically incentivizes teams to fire their head coach before the end of the season so they can get an earlier start in the hiring process.
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The Raiders and Jaguars will be permitted to begin their coaching searches Tuesday. Will the Bears try to do the same or stand idle and fall behind? McCaskey must now decide whether to fire Nagy after a comeback win or allow him to stay in place for the final two games or the regular season, which would bring the risk of the Bears falling behind other teams in their coaching search.
Nagy is now 33-30 in the regular season in his four-year tenure in Chicago. His firing at some point soon still seems to be an inevitability, but the Bears recently refrained from dismissing Nagy after a pair of primetime losses in the past two weeks.
Without rookie Justin Fields (ankle) and veteran Andy Dalton (groin) available Sunday, the Bears were forced to start third-stringer Nick Foles at quarterback. The 32-year-old Foles led a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with less than three minutes remaining, capping it with a 15-yard scoring pass to tight end Jimmy Graham.
Nagy elected to go for a two-point conversion, and Foles hit receiver Damiere Byrd in tight coverage in the back of the end zone. A Bears defense that had often faltered in late-game situations before then held strong against Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson, getting a stop on fourth down to seal the win. After trailing 24-14 in the fourth quarter, the Bears ended the game with Foles in victory formation.
The win wasn’t a referendum on Nagy or the 2021 Bears. It didn't change anything from the first 14 games of a lost season or alter the perception of Nagy’s missteps as coach. But it could alter the timeline of when the Bears will address their future.
The Bears have never fired a coach in-season in their 102-year history. Whether that changes will be a key storyline worth watching in the coming days.
By allowing Nagy’s tenure to continue on even this far, the Bears have already created an awkward situation.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.