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Matt Nagy arrived in Chicago as one of the hottest offensive coordinators in the NFL. After working alongside Andy Reid, Bears fans felt they were set for good times. 2018 and the NFC North title promised a lot.
A double-doink caused playoff heartbreak, and the Bears have endured mediocre performances since that defeat to the Eagles in January 2019. Those seasons have piled the pressure onto Nagy, and 2021 will be a make-or-break year for him.
Now or never for Matt Nagy
One of the black marks against Nagy is that he failed to develop Mitch Trubisky. GM Ryan Pace gambled it all to draft Trubisky, but the move has failed. More worryingly, Nagy hasn't created an offensive identity. No one knows what the Bears' offensive strategy is. Even bad teams with mediocre quarterbacks have historically had an offensive philosophy.
In the offseason, the Bears hierarchy opted to give Pace and Nagy another year. Pace dispensed with Trubisky, and he rolled the dice again to trade up and draft Ohio State's Justin Fields.
Fields was one of the most exciting quarterback prospects in the NFL Draft. Once Pace saw him fall, the general manager gambled to draft him. Nagy will now be judged on how he develops Fields.
Andy Dalton is a bridge quarterback, and the whole world knows that. It is only a matter of time until Fields becomes the starter, and that is when the pressure will crank up on Nagy.
The Bears were dominated by the Rams in Week 1. Now they welcome the 1-0 Bengals for a must-win game. The division is still in its early phases, and the Bears can vault themselves to the top. A loss to the Bengals will just add more fuel to the heat.
Nagy's been on the hot seat for a long time in Chicago. Consecutive defeats will anger the fans even more. The final straw could be Nagy failing to develop Fields. If Fields flames out under Nagy's watch, then the hot seat might incinerate him.
Chicago natives place all their coaches under pressure 24/7. Nagy has dealt with it so far, and he needs to absorb it again. Only results and Fields performing well will save him.
