Nagy gonna Nagy!
The Chicago Bears were embarrassed by the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. They came out of the gates looking ready to do some damage and even held a lead at halftime. They were looking so good, head coach Matt Nagy even went as far as to say that he was “having so much fun.”
The Bears fell apart in the second half. Rodgers and the Packers absolutely carved up the Bears’ defense to the tune of three touchdowns, while the Packers’ defense limited Chicago to just three points in the third and fourth quarters. Green Bay won the game 45-30. One especially difficult aspect of the game to watch for Bears fans was Davante Adams, who went off for seven catches, 65 yards, and a touchdown in the second half of Sunday’s game.
Adams was already playing well in the first half. He had a touchdown and almost 50 yards through the air prior to the break. However, he was on a different level for the last 30 minutes. It was scary seeing how easily he was able to leave Bears’ defenders in the dust. Thus, after the game, reporters started asking questions, particularly, “What did the Packers do differently in the second half in regards to Davante Adams?” That’s a pretty standard question given what the entire NFL world just witnessed. How was Davante Adams used differently in the second half than the first? According to Nagy, he wasn’t.
“They did the same thing they did in the first half,” said Nagy. A simple enough answer, but not anywhere close to the truth. Per NextGen stats, the Packers started bumping Adams to the slot on nearly half the routes he ran after he lined up on the outside for all six of his routes in the first quarter.
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They did this because of the man playing opposite Adams, Jaylon Johnson. Johnson, a cornerback for the Bears, did a damn good job of limiting Adams’ impact when given the opportunity. Johnson covered Adams on all 23 of his routes after lining up on the outside. He held Adams to just two catches for 19 yards on five targets on those snaps. When the Packers started moving Adams to the slot, they were able to create much more favorable matchups, and when Johnson was not the closest corner to Adams, Adams recorded eight catches on eight targets for 102 yards and two touchdowns.
It was clear the Packers were doing something different. Even Johnson knew they were doing something different. When he was asked how the Packers used Adams in the second half, Johnson said:
The fact that Nagy didn’t notice this is troubling to say the least, but not unexpected given what Bears’ fans have been forced to witness every Sunday this season. You know what’s even funnier about Nagy’s statement though? It implies several things:
1) Nagy didn’t realize the Packers adjusted their game plan in the second half, which we’ve already established.
2) Nagy opted not to make any halftime adjustments, because of how well the first half went. Then was shocked when his first half game plan didn’t go over as well in the second half.
3) Even if Nagy DID make halftime adjustments, he would be implying that the adjustments he made at the half allowed the Packers to stomp all over his Bears while running the same offense they ran in the first half.
There is not a single way you can dissect this statement that makes Nagy look good. But we’re far past trying to make Nagy look good at this point. His non-future with the Bears is a foregone conclusion at this point. It’s just a matter of when. That being said, the when should’ve come several weeks ago.
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