(670 The Score) In the land of Hollywood, reality changed the plot of the Tyson Bagent story.
Credit the Chargers for flipping the script.
In the Bears' 30-13 loss Sunday night at SoFi Stadium, Bagent looked like a 23-year-old undrafted rookie making his first NFL start on the road.
The Bears didn't lose because of their young, unproven quarterback – a porous defense deserved most of the blame for the defeat – but Bagent didn't do enough to make you think they could win a game because of him. That was the rare opportunity in front of the history-making, Division-II phenom from Shepherd University and the primary reason for all the hype around Chicago last week but one he squandered on a forgettable night in SoCal.
Bagent might have won a measure of respect in losing to the Chargers but, objectively, any praise he received during the nationally televised event related more to his instinct and intelligence than his ability or skill. He clearly possesses the football IQ of a 10-year veteran, but his output remains rookie-like and needs to catch up to his intellect.
At least now the Bears can avoid a quarterback controversy, provided Justin Fields gets medically cleared to return in time for their game next Sunday at the New Orelans Saints. Bagent did nothing to embarrass himself but made the decision to go back to Fields as the starter much easier than it could've been for coach Matt Eberflus.
Bagent resembled the NFL backup quarterback he currently is, with limitations that outweigh his potential, weaknesses that obviously balance his strengths. It's still a remarkable tale, even if NBC overdid it by insisting on forcing Tyson Trivia on viewers even after the game was out of hand. It was fun while it lasted, but the Bears need to resume the evaluation process of Fields given the quarterbacks available in the 2024 NFL Draft class – namely Caleb Williams of USC and Drake Maye of North Carolina.
And if you doubt for even one second why NFL teams obsess over finding a legitimate franchise quarterback, then think of the way Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert sliced and diced the Bears secondary. That's what a $262.5-million quarterback looks like, plays like and stars like. That's why the Bears need to know everything about Fields before determining how to approach his future and the NFL Draft next spring. With the Bears sitting at 2-6, everything about their quarterback situation must prioritize the future over the present.
Bagent still fits in that equation, likely as a quality backup who will master any system well enough to become an asset in the quarterback room, a modern-day Josh McCown perhaps. There were positives on display from Bagent against the Chargers, just not enough of them.
"I thought it was solid," Eberflus told reporters postgame about Bagent's performance.
Bagent completed 25 of 37 passes for 232 yards and two interceptions and posted a 62.0 passer rating. Occasionally, Bagent delivered the ball in time and on time, anticipating throws that revealed his feel for the position. He showed savvy in buying himself time against a Chargers front that included two of the fiercest pass rushers in the league in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, which required a pocket presence that he possesses. He improvised often, developing a nice safety valve connection with tight end Cole Kmet, who caught 10 passes.
But there were too many examples of how limited Bagent becomes without a lead or a dominant running game. The Chargers appeared to confuse Bagent more than the Raiders did, even with a defense that arrived dead last in the NFL in defending the pass. He looked more tentative than in his first start, his confidence harder to detect. He floated a bad interception. On the fourth-and-2 to start the fourth quarter, Bagent telegraphed a weak out route to Darrynton Evans that was nearly intercepted. (And why were the Bears throwing to their backup running back on fourth-and-2?)
Bagent did little to remove doubts about the strength of his arm.
Even on the pass that Velus Jones dropped in the end zone, a stronger throw might've prevented Jones from slipping before he let the ball go right through his hands. Jones, by the way, has run out of excuses. You're an NFL wide receiver, Velus: catch the ball or leave town. The Bears should strongly consider pushing Jones toward the latter if they allowed him on the team flight back from LA.
Bears coaches also should address the confusion that surrounded the first snap of the game. As if to make a point about the "cannon" that Bagent claimed he had, the Bears called a deep pass to Darnell Mooney, who caught Bagent's slightly underthrown ball for a 41-yard gain. Officials flagged Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. for pass interference and appeared to blow the play dead after Mooney landed with the catch. Nobody touched Mooney, but he casually ran toward the end zone before slowing up. You wonder if anything would've changed had Mooney sprinted past the goal line and tried selling the touchdown. You wonder why an NFL player immersed in the HITS principle wouldn't naturally just get up and start sprinting for paydirt if he's coached to do that every day.
"He needs to get up and go, I told him that," Eberflus said he told Mooney.
You wonder why the Bears didn't pick up Bagent against the Chargers the way they did against the Raiders.
Meanwhile, Bagent's counterpart, Herbert, completed his first 15 passes and looked as cool as an ocean breeze. Herbert spread the ball around liberally as Chargers receivers got open with ease, completing 31 of 40 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns for a 122.7 passer rating. He wasn't sacked and was barely touched. The Bears defense regressed, too susceptible to weak tackling and soft coverage as Herbert exploited holes everywhere. Never was that more obvious than on the final drive of the first half, after the Bears had closed their deficit to 17-7 and threatened to hang around, when Herbert led the Chargers 75 yards on nine plays for his third touchdown pass of a dominant half.
That wasn't the complementary football the Bears stress. That was contact-optional football worth criticizing.
That was linebacker T.J. Edwards missing badly on Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, who took a short pass to the corner before scooting 39 yards for the game's first touchdown. That was the Bears secondary missing safeties Jaquan Brisker, who was ill, and Eddie Jackson, who was in uniform but oddly not in the lineup. That was Herbert reminding the NFL that he's one of the five most talented quarterbacks in the league, the guy with a right arm worthy of comparisons to Dan Marino. That wasn't Brian Hoyer or Sam Howell – two of the unproven quarterbacks the Bears defense handled well enough recently to lull into a false sense of security.
That was the Bears defense regressing, badly. Edwards made a team-high 13 tackles but likely will dwell on the one he missed on Ekeler that resulted in the touchdown and set the tone. Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon showed up for the game in a Spider-Man suit over his entire body but probably felt like covering his face after the game. There was no disguising that embarrassing effort. And this would be the wrong week for cornerback Jaylon Johnson to amplify his desire to get paid. Rookie Tyrique Stevenson led the Bears secondary with 12 tackles, but many of those came after giving up soft cushions to Charger receivers. Heck, the Chargers didn't punt until midway through the third quarter when Simi Fehoko dropped Herbert's pass on third down. By then, it was 27-7.
But the outcome felt like it was determined much earlier than that.
In a game billed as compelling, the Bears never made it competitive.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.
