London game a chance for Bears to rewrite history
LONDON — When the Bears came to London in 2019, the Matt Nagy era was still in high gear.
But not for long. The London game ended up being a huge turning point.
The Bears entered the game 3-1 and 15-5 in Nagy’s first 20 regular-season games after a 16-6 victory against the Vikings that was typical of Nagy’s early success in his first year-plus as their coach.
Coordinator Chuck Pagano’s defense was dominant. Without defensive end Akiem Hicks and linebacker Roquan Smith, who was a late scratch against the Vikings, backups Nick Kwiatkoski, Nick Williams and Roy Robertson-Harris played starring roles.
And Nagy’s offense, while still a big question mark, found a way to win after starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky injured his shoulder on his sixth snap of the game. Backup Chase Daniel took over and provided the efficiency the Bears needed, completing 22 of 30 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown for a 101.4 passer rating. It was a victory for Nagy.
Under Nagy, the Bears managed challenges that had flummoxed previous coaches. They were 6-2 in the NFC North, including three division victories in a 12-day span in 2018, 7-3 on the road and 3-0 on short rest. With Nagy shaky as an offensive coordinator but stellar as a CEO head coach, the challenges of the London trip seemed right in his wheelhouse.
But the Nagy era hit a wall against the 2-2 Raiders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Even with guard Kyle Long, Hicks and Smith returning, the Bears fell behind 17-0 in the second quarter. And after they rallied with three touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead, the defense fell flat in crunch time. The Raiders drove 97 yards on 13 plays for the go-ahead touchdown, Daniel threw his second interception of the game and the Bears lost 24-21.
The Nagy era was never the same. The Bears went 19-26 (.422) in the next two-plus seasons, with Nagy getting fired after going 6-11 in 2021.
So here the Bears are again, with a different head coach, a different general manager, a different quarterback and a different roster. (Long snapper Patrick Scales is the only player from that game still around, but he’s on injured reserve.)
The Bears again have a developing quarterback, a work-in-progress offense and an offensive coordinator with a lot to prove. And a defense that is one of the best in the NFL.
But while the London game was the beginning of the end for Nagy, there is hope it might be just the beginning for the Bears under coach Matt Eberflus, especially with rookie Caleb Williams at quarterback.
The 2019 Bears had peaked on both sides of the ball. The offense never fired under Nagy, be it with Trubisky or Justin Fields, and the defense began a slow descent from the 2018 glory days under Vic Fangio.
The 2024 Bears have exhibited their own red flags, but they still have more hope than doubt, with Williams a much better prospect than Trubisky and Fields were and with better weapons. A victory against the 1-4 Jaguars won’t be a watershed moment, but it would give them a chance at a watershed moment down the line.
‘‘I think [the London trip] is good from a team-bonding standpoint,’’ tight end Cole Kmet said. ‘‘And . . . we all look at the schedule, and to go into the bye week 4-2 instead of 3-3 is a big setup for us, especially with all the division games we’ve got coming later.
‘‘And that’s where the schedule gets really tough. So we’ve got to get as many now before those division games hit. I think it’s a big game for us before the bye week.’’