CLEVELAND (670 The Score) -- The Bears flirted with franchise infamy in an abysmal performance that featured only 47 net yards of offense in their 26-6 loss to the Browns on Sunday.
Here are the observations from an ugly day at FirstEnergy Stadium.
Damning day for Nagy
What has Bears coach Matt Nagy been doing the last five months?
Since the Bears landed quarterback Justin Fields with the No. 11 pick in the NFL Draft in late April, Nagy should've been preparing to scheme an offense around his dynamic dual-threat talent.
Instead, Nagy implemented a game plan that had an adverse effect on Fields in his first NFL start Sunday. Fields didn't have a chance to make plays based on what Nagy and the Bears asked him to do.
Nagy didn't move the pocket for Fields to get room behind a porous offensive line. He didn't call for run-pass options that would've allowed Fields to make decisions based on what the Browns presented. And he didn't design scripted runs to take advantage of Fields' 4.4 40-yard dash speed.
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Nagy had Fields drop back in a crumbling pocket time and again and take hit after hit after hit – the Browns had nine sacks and registered 15 hurries. Fields was 6-of-20 for 68 yards while rushing three times for 12 yards.
Nagy explained he hoped to utilize Fields' mobility but added the Browns took that away. The problem is Nagy didn't adjust off what Cleveland was presenting defensively. Nagy played right into the Browns' hands, the same way he did in the Bears' loss to the Rams on Sept. 12 in their season opener.
When it was finally over, Fields walked off FirstEnergy Stadium with a right hand injury that didn't turn out to be serious, with X-rays coming back clean. Nagy is fortunate Fields didn't get hurt worse against the attacking Browns defense.
Not only was that game plan from Nagy ill-fitting for Fields, it was unimaginative and downright dangerous to the future of the franchise. Nagy displayed a complete lack of awareness for how should operate as the head coach and play-caller for Fields.
Will there be more games for Fields in which he's set up to fail by Nagy? Because that's what would get Nagy fired by the end of this season – if he continues to jeopardize Fields' health and development.
Sunday was simply complete negligence from Nagy.
'Not used to this'
How did Fields perform Sunday? I don't know.
It's impossible to dive deep into Fields' individual performance in his first professional start, because that's how bad everything was around him. If he had a proper game plan built for him, an offensive line to protect him and the right circumstances to stand out, then the focus would be on Fields today instead of Nagy.
Statistically, Fields stunk Sunday. But it was obvious watching the game that the Bears' struggles weren't on him.
What was concerning regarding Fields came after the game, when he seemed to be struggling to process what had happened. He isn't used to losing – and certainly not in that fashion.
"I don't like feeling like this," Fields said.
Perhaps learning how to handle losing and keeping himself composed as a budding leader of the Bears will prove to be one of Fields' biggest challenges in his rookie season.
The Bears have to hope Fields can bury this ugly loss and move forward with a fresh mindset.
A mea culpa
Please join me in a collective apology to Bears pass rusher Robert Quinn, for whom I never envisioned a bounce-back season.
I'm being proved wrong, as Quinn has four sacks in the first three games. After he dealt with back soreness in training camp, it seemed like the 31-year-old Quinn was bound for another letdown after posting just two sacks in 2020.
Instead, Quinn appears to be reborn early this season.
Extra points
-- The Browns botched a pair of fourth-down plays in the first quarter, one with a poor snap to quarterback Baker Mayfield and another that appeared to be a broken play. Both ended in sacks by the Bears. So the final score could've been even worse if Cleveland had scored on either of those early possessions.
-- Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack played through the pain yet again Sunday, leaving late in the first quarter with a foot injury and returning for the second half. He finished with two sacks and played well, but his ailment will be one to watch on the injury report moving forward.
-- Six of the Bears' 11 drives finished with negative yardage. Their longest drive went 65 yards, but 38 of those yards were accounted for by Browns penalties.
-- As if this game wasn't bad enough for the Bears, the insult to injury came with safety Eddie Jackson whiffing on a tackle as Browns running back Kareem Hunt marched to the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
-- Both of the following can be true: Browns pass rusher Myles Garrett is a monster, and the Bears' offensive line was a mess.
-- Bears reserve quarterback Nick Foles should've finished out the fourth quarter of that game.
-- The Bears had one net passing yard. One.
-- I think Fields just got sacked again.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
