Matt Nagy will face a new challenge in his second season as head coach of the Chicago Bears: How to lead a team when there’s nothing left to play for.
Shortly after Sunday’s brutal loss to the Packers, the Bears were eliminated from playoff contention and any dreams of a magical, Super Bowl season were officially dashed.
Through all of the struggles this season, Nagy has done a great job keeping morale high. They’ve continued to fight through adversity — and remain together in the process. And things were pretty bad there at 3-5, then 4-6.
So as the Bears prepare for their final two games of an otherwise forgettable season, Nagy has him team focused on using the frustration from this season heading into an important offseason. He’ll also have his team ready to play in these final games — as if they did mean something more.
“I really am looking forward to our team finishing and playing really hard these last two games,” Nagy said. “We can do that. So my message to the guys is, we’re rolling. There’s nothing that changes. It stinks that we can’t get to the playoffs, but that’s on us. We made this. Hopefully we learn from it and remember this feeling. But these next two games to us are very important and we’re going to play them hard.”
While there’s nothing to play for in regards to the playoffs, Nagy said that he will indeed play his starters in those last two games.
“Absolutely,” he said. “Yeah. Yep.”
There will be plenty of guys playing for jobs — both veterans and the young guns. Cornerback Kevin Toliver is one to watch, as he looks to fight for a starting job next season over Prince Amukamara, who could very well be on his way out of Chicago. Receivers Javon Wims and Riley Ridley will be looking to prove they can be reliable options to go along with Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller, which could mean the end of Taylor Gabriel’s time in Chicago.
So while the Bears won’t be playing for playoff contention in these final two games, these final two weeks are important in determining the direction of this team heading into 2020.
