The Chicago Bears have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL thus far. As they head into Week 10, Matt Nagy needs to rely heavily on David Montgomery this week against the Detroit Lions.
When Nagy became the Bears' head coach in 2018, there was some optimism that he could turn things around on the offense. Without a doubt, he immediately left his mark on the offense in his first year as the team's head coach.
Chicago's offense averaged 26.3 points per game (ninth-best in the NFL) and boasted a 12-4 record to win the NFC North. However, this year, the offense has fallen off the rails in Nagy's second season at the helm.
Through the first nine weeks, the Bears have the 29th ranked offense and have only scored 17.8 points per game (27th in the NFL). When the Bears are their worst, it is when they rely on Mitchell Trubisky to win games with his arm.
On the other hand, Chicago's offense looks vastly better when they decide to use a heavy dose of Montgomery in the rushing attack. The Bears selected Montgomery in the third round of this year's draft out of Iowa State. When he's been given a chance, he has definitely looked good.
From Weeks 1-7, the rookie rusher was only given an average of 11.8 touches in Chicago's offense. Then, in Week 8, Nagy finally chose to incorporate Montgomery as the focal point of the offense.
As a result, the Iowa State product gashed the Los Angeles Chargers for 135 yards on 27 attempts and one touchdown on the ground. Montgomery also caught four passes for 12 yards and another touchdown as a receiver.
The Bears may have lost the game in heartbreaking fashion due to a missed field goal by Eddy Pineiro. But their offense finally showed some life. Last week against the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago reverted back to being a pass-oriented offense.
To no one's surprise, the Bears had nine yards of offense in the first half. Above all, Chicago was down 12-0 at halftime and they looked out of sorts once again. Suddenly the Bears were able to get back into the game when they began giving the ball to Montgomery.
The first-year running back scored both of Chicago's touchdowns as they fell to the Eagles 22-14. Despite the defeat, Nagy should now know that his offense is better when Montgomery is heavily involved.
In Week 10, the Bears will square off against the Lions in an NFC North showdown. The Lions allow an average of 135.8 rushing yards per game (27th in the NFL). Provided that, Nagy needs to get his talented running back going early and often.
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