It’s your move, Matt Nagy.
The Bears second-year head coach looks like he’s playing a back-and-forth game of chess against Packers second-year defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.
Nagy took the early lead with a touchdown and field goal on the first two possessions of the season opener last year at Lambeau Field. The Bears gained 139 yards on 19 plays — averaging 7.3 yards per play — as the Bears took an early 10-0 lead.
But Pettine and the Packers’ defense responded, holding the Bears to two field goals the rest of the way as the Packers rallied for a 24-23 victory.
Nagy responded with a better all-around effort in the rematch at Soldier Field last year. Trubisky threw two touchdown passes and had a 120.4 rating and was only sacked once as the Bears beat the Packers 24-17 to clinch the NFC North title.
But Pettine struck back on the big stage of the NFL season opener on Sept. 5 at Soldier Field. The Bears averaged 3.9 yards per play (65-254) and Trubisky was sacked five times in a 10-3 loss that set an ugly offensive tone for the season.
So now it’s Nagy’s turn to respond. His offense is in a groove, scoring 20 or more points in back-to-back games for the first time all season in victories over the Lions (24-20) and Cowboys (31-24) — a low bar for Aaron Rodgers & Co., but a worthy accomplishment for the Bears.
And as good as the Packers’ defense looked in the season opener, they’ve been pretty leaky since. The Packers’ defense is 26th in yards allowed per play, 27th in rushing yards allowed per carry, 25th in passing yards allowed per attempt.
They’re also fourth in interceptions per pass play, sixth in red-zone defense and 13th in points allowed, which makes them a perfect litmus test for the Bears’ rejuvenated offense. Under Pettine, the Packers are well-coached and opportunistic, but vulnerable. They can be had by a good offense. Do the Bears have one?
It’s a timely test for Nagy, whose reputation as a quarterback-whisperer, offense-designer and play-caller has taken a hit this season. But the recent improvement could be a sign that, just as Trubisky and the offensive line seem to be getting it, maybe Nagy is getting it just the same.
For what it’s worth Nagy is 4-0 in rematches in his two seasons as the Bears’ head coach. He won all three last year — beating the Lions (23-16), Packers (24-17) and Vikings (24-10) the second time around. This year, the Bears beat the Lions 24-20 at Ford Field on Thanksgiving after winning 20-13 at Soldier Field 18 days earlier.
This will be Nagy’s fourth game against Pettine. And while he doesn’t make it personal, he acknowledged the competition within the game, coordinator vs. coordinator.
“It’s a cat-and-mouse game,” Nagy said. “They had a lot of great success against us obviously the first game. So when the game’s over and you say to yourself, ‘Did I do my job schematically of helping my team win?’ That’s when you want to have more yes’s than no’s. I felt personally — and I said this after Week 1 — I didn’t do a good enough job as a coach getting our guys ready for that game.
“But I also said that that’s a very good defensive coordinator we’re going against, and they have great players. We’re all competitive. We all want to do well.”
Pettine is a formidable opponent. “Coach Pettine has done a great job throughout his career of being almost tendency-free,” Bears offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said, responding to a question about Packers’ linebacker Za’Darius Smith. “And they’re even better now with how they deploy [Smith and linebacker Preston Smith]. It’s kind of a perfect storm of scheme and talent.”
That made the difference the first time, when the “Smith Brothers” had 2 1⁄2 sacks and the Packers’ defense dominated. The next move is Nagy’s.
