Can Chicago Bears QB Tyson Bagent push the ball down field? Does he need to?
Everything went well Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent didn't make any mistakes. An electric run game helped propel the offense. The Raiders, without starting QB Jimmy Garoppolo, looked lost.
The result was a convincing 30-12 win for the Bears.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy could've been taking victory laps all week after winning an NFL football game with a quarterback fresh out of a Division II school.
"Winning feels good," Getsy said Thursday at Halas Hall. "There's nothing personal in that self satisfaction from me, that doesn't really cross my mind and the way that I operate. I was excited that the guys got to celebrate together, have the opportunity to get the 'W' and hopefully we can continue to build off that."
The Bears had a conservative game plan. It was exactly what they needed to beat the Raiders. It might not be so easy this week against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday Night Football. At the very least the Chargers will present a different type of challenge for Bagent and the Bears.
The Chargers' defense ranks dead last in the NFL against the pass, allowing 310 passing yards a game, and ranks 26th in interception rate. But the pass rush, led by former Bears star Khalil Mack and four-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa, ranks eighth in sack rate.
The Bears might have a chance to push the ball down field against this defense. It's a double-edged sword, though, against this pass rush. The Bears also have a young quarterback who hasn't proven he can throw the ball down field with consistency.
Last week Bagent attempted only a handful of passes that went more than 10 yards down field. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said that was largely by design because of the quarterback making his first start, but also because of the opponent.
"Obviously, the first time coming out you want [Bagent] to be very successful," Eberflus said. "I think it matters with the opponent you're playing, the rushers you're playing, the coverages they're playing, what their style is, what their offense looks like. I think it's all encompassing."
Bagent is likely to make his second consecutive start this week with starter Justin Fields still sidelined by a right thumb injury. Fields has yet to practice this week.
The more Bagent plays, the more he will have to take shots down field, especially if the Bears find themselves playing from behind.
In the final seconds of the first half last week, the Bears pulled Bagent in order to send Nathan Peterman out for a Hail Mary throw. Eberflus explained that Peterman has a strong arm, but the implication there was that Bagent's arm isn't as strong.
Getsy said Thursday that the Bears have "complete confidence" in Bagent and his arm.
"I think I have a strong arm," Bagent said this week. "I'm confident to make any play that's called."
The Chargers are allowing more than 8 yards a pass attempt, while Bagent's 29 pass attempts last week averaged only 2.5 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Getsy noted that the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chargers' opponent last week, put up big numbers against anyone. But the defensive woes in Los Angeles go far beyond just last week. Even Titans QB Ryan Tannehill and Raiders rookie Aidan O'Connell both threw for more than 230 yards against this Chargers defense.
"You have to take all of that into account as far as where our best matchups [are], where do we have the best opportunity to go find success?" Getsy said. "That's obviously a question we have to answer every single week, but we'll definitely take that into account. By no means are we going to let stats ignore the kind of talent that they have on that defense."
The Chargers are middle of the pack in terms of rushing yards per attempt, but generally teams have found so much success throwing the ball that they haven't needed to run it as much against that defensive front. That being said, the Bears have looked really good running the ball with D'Onta Foreman the past two weeks. Rookie Roschon Johnson could be returning from a concussion, too.
If the run game is rolling, Bagent may not have to push the ball down field. But that seems unlikely against Justin Herbert and the Chargers offense, which can score against anyone and could put pressure on Bagent and the Bears offense to keep up.
Bagent, for his part, said he just wants to execute the game plan. He will leave it up to Getsy and Eberflus to determine what exactly that should look like this week.
"I don't really drop myself in any category of being a pocket passer, dual threat," Bagent said. "I just like to make plays for the team, and once again, whatever I'm asked to do from the coaches is what we'll get done."