Bears coach Matt Nagy is staying persistent on his case that Andy Dalton, the veteran quarterback previously on the Bengals and Cowboys, will remain QB1. Right now, there’s a problem with that declaration: Dalton is out with a knee injury from Week 2 and hasn’t been reactivated yet.
Justin Fields, the Bears’ rookie quarterback, had his second NFL career start on Sunday, and led the Bears to a 24-14 win over their divisional rivals, the Lions.
After he was drafted in the first round in April, Bears fans waited for the day that Fields would take the field as the Bears’ starting quarterback. Even after two NFL starts and going 1-1, Nagy still isn’t budging about the Bears’ original quarterback plan.
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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said that Andy Dalton will start against the Las Vegas Raiders if he’s healthy enough.
(Via Bears FB Live)
— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) October 4, 2021
In two games, Dalton only threw for 262 yards total, while Fields has thrown 347 yards in the two games he started. Nagy’s decision has become a weekly storyline, after last week he said the quarterback choice would be a “game-time decision,” even though Dalton was still injured.
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Dalton is getting a check-up on his knee on Wednesday, and that will determine his availability for this weekend’s game against the Raiders and beyond. On Monday, Nagy spoke with the media and continued to preach how Dalton will be the starting quarterback if he’s healthy.
“We’ve gotta see where Andy’s at health-wise,” Nagy said. “When Andy’s healthy, he’s our starter. Justin’s the 2. Nick (Foles) is the 3.”
It is unclear when Nagy will make his official quarterback announcement for Sunday’s Week 5 game, but it will come after Dalton’s check-up on Wednesday.
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Bears fans took to Twitter after Nagy’s announcement on Monday critiquing the Bears coach for his decision. Many fans tweeted memes showcasing their true frustrations with Nagy’s decision.
If Matt Nagy was the coach of the Patriots in 2001, he would have gone back to Drew Bledsoe.
— Bill Zimmerman (@ZimmermanSXM) October 4, 2021