The Chicago Bears traded for Nick Foles during the offseason because he represented stability. He was a guy with a lot of wins — big wins — on his resume who was familiar with coach Matt Nagy’s offense. Certainly, he’d meet at least the minimum requirements needed to complement what was considered a championship-caliber defense.
Unfortunately, the Bears haven’t been receiving the kind of play from Foles that won a Super Bowl in Philadelphia. Instead, he’s been more Rams/Jaguars-Foles; the guy who was replaced by a sixth-round rookie in 2019 and has been on five teams in nine years.
Chicago’s three-game losing streak, which has them sitting at 5-4, is in large part because the offense — and Foles — hasn’t been able to get on track. And it feels like it’s getting worse. Foles is seeing ghosts in the pocket and doesn’t have the mental makeup to stand tall in the face of a pass rush, which is the norm with how poor the Bears’ offensive line is playing.
Foles’ disappointing play has pushed him further down the latest QB Power Rankings, via NBC Sports. He now ranks 29th.
Quarterback play and Matt Nagy’s scheme/playcalling have become a chicken-or-egg scenario in Chicago. Is the Bears offense atrocious because they don’t have any QBs who can perform with a shoddy line? Or is the Bears offense atrocious because Nagy can’t properly adjust his offense to match the team’s talent? Either way, Foles should share some blame.
The only quarterbacks who rank lower than Foles are Drew Lock (Broncos), Nick Mullens (49ers), and Alex Smith (Redskins). Let that sink in for a minute.
As for the rest of the NFC North’s passers, Kirk Cousins ranks 21st, Matthew Stafford checks-in at No. 19, and Aaron Rodgers reigns supreme at No. 3.
