March 29, 2024


Analysis

Inside Matt Nagy's decision to bench Trubisky for Foles, and what happens next for Bears

Matt Nagy and the Bears coaching staff discussed making the switch from Mitch Trubisky to Nick Foles at halftime Sunday in Atlanta. The Bears were trailing by six points at the time.

“We were lacking a little bit of a rhythm,” Nagy said. “There wasn’t a lot of energy. There was just something missing."

Ultimately, Nagy didn’t make the switch until Trubisky tossed an interception right to Atlanta’s Blidi Wreh-Wilson on the Bears’ first possession of the third quarter. Atlanta scored a field goal off the turnover to take a 16-point lead.

What happened next was pretty cut and dry.

“Coach Nagy just said, ‘Hey, you’re in. Get warm,’” Foles said. “And it was just simple as that.”

Trubisky said offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, not Nagy, informed him that the Bears were making a switch at quarterback. The FOX telecast included no shortage of shots showing Trubisky looking on from the sidelines as Foles walked out onto the field.

This was a switch months in the making, dating back to when the team acquired Foles in March. Nagy had previous opportunities to yank Trubisky in favor of Foles, and didn’t do it.

He could’ve done it before the season. No one would’ve blamed him for starting a former Super Bowl MVP. Instead, Trubisky won the job.

He could've done it in Week 1, when the Bears fell behind the Detroit Lions by 17 points. Yet, Nagy didn't make the switch then, either, and Trubisky led a comeback.

Eventually, though, the Trubisky miscues added up. He overthrew a wide open Anthony Miller on a deep ball in the first half Sunday. Trubisky later admitted that Foles and Miller ran the same play on the game-winning touchdown pass.

On the interception in the third quarter, Trubisky simply didn't see the defender closing in on tight end Jimmy Graham. Wreh-Wilson undercut the route to snag the turnover.

The decision came down to a head coach trusting his gut, and sticking with his decision.

“We were struggling on third down a lot,” Nagy said. “We weren’t producing points in the red zone and I just think that sometimes there is a gut feeling as to when to do it. That seemed like the right time. It’s never fun.”

It wasn't fun, but it paid off. Foles led the Bears to a 16-point come-from-behind win over Atlanta, 30-26. The team is 3-0 for the first time since 2013.

“I’ve been where he’s been and it’s not easy,” Foles said of Trubisky. “But he was supporting me 100%. I know the emotions are real because I’ve been there.”

Despite the awkwardness, Trubisky handled it beautifully. After the game, he owned up to his mistakes. That doesn’t mean he saw the switch coming, though. Trubisky said it “happened out of nowhere.”

“You’ve just got to move forward, accept it and continue to be a great teammate,” Trubisky said. “But it’s a tough deal sometimes.”

And it’s a tough result for a quarterback who won the job out of training camp, and led his team to a 2-0 start.

“None of this was premeditated,” Nagy said. “It was just a feel and that's my job.”

It naturally begs the question: What’s next?

Nagy wouldn’t commit to either quarterback starting next week against the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field.

“All of this is so new,” Foles said. “I just wasn’t expecting this today.”

Neither was Nagy. He’s going to have to make a plan this week. It would be awfully hard to go back to Trubisky after Foles led his team to a brilliant comeback.

“We’ll go back and just kind of enjoy this one right now and we’ll talk through where we’re at and what we think is the best decision moving forward,” Nagy said. “Honestly, we’re not there right now.”

Sean Hammond

Sean Hammond

Sean is the Chicago Bears beat reporter for the Shaw Local News Network. He has covered the Bears since 2020. Prior to writing about the Bears, he covered high school sports for the Northwest Herald and contributed to Friday Night Drive. Sean joined Shaw Media in 2016.