To highlight what worked well for rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent in his first career start, one must first give praise for the Chicago Bears’ offensive line’s strong day.
“The real story of this game was their ability to run the ball, the Las Vegas Raiders’ inability to stop the run and then tackle in space,” said Josh Lucas, the Bears’ former director of player personnel. “The funny story is the quarterback — and it’s an amazing story.”
But from left to right – Larry Borom, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Teven Jenkins and Darnell Wright – the line and tight ends rattled the Las Vegas Raiders defense, allowing running back D’Onta Foreman to roll right through them.
“(No.) 76 and 58 next to each other is going to cause a lot of problems for people,” Lucas said of Jenkins and Wright.
Now on to Bagent. For Lucas, who also scouted for the New Orleans Saints and Jacksonville Jaguars, using a baseball analogy is the best way to compare and contrast Bagent and Justin Fields.
“Fields has been a power hitter his whole life – explosive, vertical throws,” Lucas said. “And when it’s not there, he uses his incredible athleticism and speed to make plays with his legs.”
Bagent is different. He looks like he can bat for average. It’s singles and doubles and then maybe an occasional home run.
“It’s in his DNA,” Lucas said. “That’s how he sees and plays the game.”
That could make him better in the fast-paced game for the Bears.
“They were very conservative in their play calls — and he was conservative too,” Lucas said. “But I thought he made consistent plays. He took what they gave him. When they play better teams and the other team scores and you need to tie the score, he has to make the shots.”
Bagent missed a few. Lucas and I watched every single snap of Bagent against the Raiders. Here are five plays worth discussing from the Bears’ 30-12 win at Soldier Field.
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First quarter | 3-5-CHI 49 (7:04) (Shotgun) T. Bagent passes short middle to T. Scott to LV 38 for 13 yards (D. Long).
This game quickly became a popular game on Sunday. The Bears’ social media team even joined in praising Bagent’s 20/20 vision. But the concept used is particularly popular in college.
Bagent had front-side reads to wide receivers DJ Moore and Darnell Mooney and a backside dig route to rookie receiver Tyler Scott. If done correctly, it is difficult to cover the depression above the center.
“He gets over (his first reads) really quickly and in the end it’s a really good decision,” Lucas said. “He knows he has the backside dig, and this time he goes for it instead of immediately going for the checkdown back.”
The back was wide open. A failed coverage by the Raiders left Foreman uncovered on the left side. But Scott was first in the episode. And Scott won against cornerback David Long Jr. with a short break at the top of his tribe.
“With 13 (Scott), it’s a really good route,” Lucas said. “Great job by 13. Great job by the quarterback. … That’s his game. Anything under 20 yards is definitely his strength.”
Bagent stayed in the pocket and delivered an off-balance throw.
The protection held. That started with Wright going one-on-one against Pro Bowl pass rusher Maxx Crosby.
“He’s a freak show,” Lucas said as he watched Wright get his feet into position. “It’s called a dancing bear.”
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Second quarter | 1-10-CHI 19 (14:21) (Shotgun) T. Bagent passes short right to D. Mooney pushes top of CHI 27 for 8 yards (M. Peters).
This was a quick throw finish. It’s one that Bagent seems to be doing brilliantly, while Fields has yet to work on it, despite having completed it in the past.
“Bagent just completely trusts the game,” Lucas said. “The purpose of this play is that it is a running play. It is an extension of the running game. …It’s perfect accuracy and timing. It’s all perfect.”
Cornerback Marcus Peters withdrew his coverage of Mooney before the snap, giving Mooney more room to maneuver. Bagent’s gaze moved from left to right and he began to throw the ball before Mooney turned his head to him.
In other words, the quarterback trusted his receiver. First-and-10 quickly became second-and-2.
“His long throws are going to come from that because teams are going to start leaning on those hard throws because they’re going to say, ‘He gets the ball out quick.’ “He doesn’t have a big arm,” Lucas said. “So you’re going to expect that, and that’s where he’s going to be able to make big plays.”
This is where offensive coordinator Luke Getsy can introduce double plays.
“You sell it, sell it, sell it,” Lucas said. “Next thing you know, Mooney runs out a little bit and up and gets his explosives.”
Second quarter | 1-3-LV 3 (7:40) (Shotgun) T. Bagent pass short to the right incomplete
First, the Bears got away with a false start from Wright. He clearly moved before the snap.
But without a flag, this turned into a missed touchdown throw from Bagent to Mooney — and that happened before the scramble.
Rookie defensive end Tyree Wilson’s rush flushed Bagent out of the pocket. Wilson stood several steps outside of Wright, but Wright could still reach him.
Wright first checked out defensive tackle Jerry Tillery before turning his attention to Wilson.
“(Bagent) might have thought that 58 wouldn’t have seen him,” Lucas said.
But Wright did. He reached Wilson, but Bagent ran away toward the defensive end.
When Bagent pushed up in the pocket, Mooney had a throw over Raiders linebacker Robert Spillane. He didn’t have to struggle.
“It’s going to be a great bag,” Lucas said. “And if he stays in the pocket, he’s going to have an incredible chance to throw this at 11. Now he makes it a little more difficult, but he should still hit it. It’s probably the first one we’ve seen where he wants it back.”
However, Foreman scored on the next play.
Second quarter | 3-7-CHI 38 (:26) (No Huddle, Shotgun) T. Bagent passed short right to D. Moore and ran at the LV 47 for 15 yards.
“I thought it was one of his best plays of the day,” Lucas said. “That’s insulting.”
And this time Bagent’s protection was compromised.
No one was immediately open when Bagent reached the top of his drop. Wright was also on the ground. He tripped over Jenkins’ right leg and fell hard to the ground. So Bagent crawled to the right.
“There is no way to throw the ball here – zero,” Lucas said. “So it’s a hell of a job of him to cause offense.”
During the scramble drill, Bagent noticed Moore breaking out toward the sideline. He placed his throw over tight end Cole Kmet and a defender.
The play in its entirety is one of several examples where Bagent’s athleticism made a difference. He also had scrambles of 10 and 12 yards. This is now on tape. Opponents must have respect for his feet.
“He doesn’t just say, ‘Oh my God, I’m a great story. “I’m just so happy to be here,” Lucas said. “I think he really believes he can play and that’s the most important thing. With any young quarterback, I don’t care if he’s the first pick in the draft or if he’s an undrafted college free agent, once you start that early, two things happen. Either you build self-confidence. Or you build up self-doubt.”
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Third quarter | 2-6-LV 25 (7:24) (Shotgun) T. Bagent passes incompletely short to the left to D. Foreman (T. Wilson).
There are mistakes that Bagent needs to correct. This is an example. He missed a potential touchdown throw to Kmet by getting out of the pocket too early. The play began with a false pitch to Foreman.
“The fakery kind of makes him drift there,” Lucas said. “But either way… it’s well blocked up front. ”
After the fake to Foreman, Bagent began his drop with a look at Kmet. Bagent sensed Wilson’s charge and tried to avoid it by spinning around him. But it did not work. He turned right into Wilson for a QB hit. Bagent tried to hit Foreman, which denied him the move. But Wilson had him.
“There’s no reason to leave this bag,” Lucas said. “It creates this pressure. That’ll be a touchdown if he goes up.”
At least Bagent is capable of beating Foreman to get a good win.
It’s possible Long, the cornerback, will drop further with Kmet’s path to the end zone when Bagent steps up. But that would leave Foreman the opportunity to get a better win. It was there.
But he did not do it.
Instead, it’s another play for Bagent to learn from and build upon after a win. The Bears still scored on that possession.
“He won’t question himself too much,” Lucas said. “He didn’t turn the ball over. He didn’t take any fucking bags. That was a lot of confidence. And he will be more confident next Sunday. And that’s where they need to do a good job to help him continue to build confidence.”
(Top photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
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