Bears HC Matt Nagy to hand offensive play-calling duties over to OC Bill Lazor

Bears head coach Matt Nagy announced in a press conference on Friday that he will be handing offensive play-calling duties over to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor for Monday night’s game against the Vikings.

Coming off of three consecutive losses, the Bears are in a tailspin after starting the season off at 5-1. Their offensive play has played a major factor in that collapse, and they still saw struggles on that side of the ball before their losing streak.

Chicago is among the league’s worst offensive units, placing in the bottom five in total yards per game, interceptions thrown and points per game, and they are dead last in rushing yards per game. Though they have faced several injuries to key contributors and lack in tremendous personnel, part of the blame for their struggles does lay on Nagy, whose questionable decisions regarding personnel usage, third-down play calling and timeout usage.

Lazor has prior experience calling plays in the NFL, doing so as the offensive coordinator for both the Dolphins and Bengals. He was fired from both stints two years into each respective gig.

While unknown exactly what differences will be made with Lazor calling the shots on offense, Nagy’s ability to admit his flaws and designate play-calling duties out of his own control is commendable. The Bears will look to aid their playoff odds with a win at home on Monday against Minnesota, who has won two straight games.