(670 The Score) When coach Matt Nagy elected to have the Bears a knee on first down to set up kicker Eddy Pineiro for the 41-yard game-winning field-goal attempt, he wasn't considering what was best for Pineiro to split the uprights and win the game.
Nagy was lost in his concern for a potential miscue by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. That's what we found in the aftermath of a disappointing loss for the Bears.
For all the support and positivity Nagy has offered the 25-year-old Trubisky, his costly decision Sunday proved to be revealing. Nagy and the Bears could've used the remaining 43 seconds to improve their field position -- either on a throw from Trubisky or by handing the ball off to rookie running back David Montgomery -- from the Chargers' 21-yard line.
Instead, they played it safe.
"I'm not even going to get into that," Nagy said after the game. "I had zero thought of running the ball and not kicking it. The chances of fumbling the football -- they know you're running the football, so you lose three, four yards. That wasn't even in our process as coaches to think about that.
"Throwing the football right then and there, what happens if you take a sack or fumble? There was zero thought of that. I'll just be brutally clear: zero thought or throwing the football, zero thought of running the football. That's exactly what it was. It's as simple as that."
Entering the season, the Bears (3-4) were hopeful that Trubisky could carry their offense, believing he was in store for a jump in his third NFL season and second with Nagy. Inside Halas Hall, the organization was confident Trubisky would be why the Bears won games. Now, they're actively minimizing the risk that he'll lose games.
Nagy's once-innovative offense now features a heavy emphasis on power running, with converted fullback J.P. Holtz and eligible tackle Cornelius Lucas seeing more snaps than the versatile Tarik Cohen on Sunday. After attempting 54 passes and rushing a franchise-low seven in a loss to the Saints on Oct. 20, the Bears committed to Montgomery and the running game while simplifying the tasks for Trubisky in the loss to the Chargers.
It's not too late for Trubisky and the Bears to turn around their season. Whether Nagy gives Trubisky the chance to salvage it remains to be seen.
Open field
The Nagy honeymoon has come to a stunning halt.
He was toast of the town in 2018 and recognized as the NFL's Coach of the Year. The credit was deserved. Nagy led the Bears' worst-to-first turnaround in the NFC North, but that's all in the past now.
The Bears have underwhelmed, Nagy is frustrated and the fan base is feeling every emotion -- sadness, anger and disappointment. Just as Nagy received credit in 2018, he now gets the blame for the Bears sitting in last place in the division.
This isn't a repeat of the Marc Trestman era, when the Bears' culture was in ruins and the coach's voice fell silent. But Nagy will be challenged in keeping the Bears together and rallying the season forward. Though the Bears have been encouraged to use their horse blinders and earmuffs to block out the noise, they all feel the failure of a 3-4 start.
They say that winning is contagious. So too is losing, and what the Bears established last season is now at risk of evaporating. Whether this team makes the playoffs or not, it will be critical to remain competitive. If the Bears crumble in 2019, it would have lasting effects beyond just this year.
Nagy's relentless optimism will be tested the rest of this season.
4-down territory
1.) Roquan bounces back
For the first time in nearly a month, Bears linebacker Roquan Smith spoke to reporters Tuesday and expressed his positive mindset.
Smith hadn't been performing like himself on the field since the Bears' win against the Vikings on Sept. 29 for personal reasons. It was something even Nagy noted. On Sunday, Smith was an active part of the Bears' defense and looked like the first-round pick brought to Chicago.
Smith indicated his personal matters are behind him.
"I definitely feel like I am where I want to be," Smith said.
2.) Error Jordan?
Did the Bears make a mistake trading Jordan Howard to the Eagles last March?
Howard looks like the running back of his first two seasons in Eagles coach Doug Pederson's offense, which is similar to that of Nagy. Howard has rushed 100 times for 443 yards and five touchdowns in eight games. He averaged only 3.7 yards per carry in 2018 before the Bears moved him.
"Sometimes change is good for everybody," Nagy said of Howard.
The Bears traded Howard for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020, then drafted Montgomery in the third round this past April. Essentially, they took a loss in draft slot value by banking Montgomery would be a better fit than Howard.
Nagy and the Bears better hope they were right with Montgomery.
3.) Watching closely
Nagy and Trubisky went through an interesting exercise this past week as they watched the entire broadcast of the Bears' loss Sunday.
The goal was for Trubisky to study his body language on the field and sidelines. He seemed struck by what he saw.
"That told me a lot about myself," Trubisky said. "It was weird watching it, because I really didn't feel like it was me. It was kind of a shell of myself. I'm going to get back to really leading in a way that I know how."
"I really wasn't doing much. I really wasn't showing any body language. It was mostly just like a guy who looks super serious, kind of tense. And that's really not me."
4.) Kudos
While Nagy has been the target of criticism, he isn't running from it.
On Monday, Nagy spoke for 28 minutes with reporters in addressing the loss to the Chargers. He didn't shy away from questions about his decision to take a knee before Pineiro's kick, and he even waved off a PR representative during attempts to conclude the media session.
Nagy is certainly under fire for the Bears' 3-4 start, but he's willing to answer for it.
Quote to note
"I got players coming up to me and telling me, 'We got this, coach.'"
-- Nagy on the state of his Bears
Bears injury report
OLB Isaiah Irving (quad) -- Irving hasn't practiced this week and will likely be ruled out ahead of the game Sunday.
Prediction (3-4): Eagles 24, Bears 17
I've previously picked the Bears to win in every game this season and shouldn't be blamed for doing so. This team was supposed to be a Super Bowl contender. We know what this team is now.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
