Play-calling shift couldn't save Chicago Bears

The big story with the Bears last week revolved around head coach Matt Nagy relinquishing his play-calling duties.

Maybe - just maybe - if someone else took the reins the results would be different.

The Bears would pile up more yards. More first downs. More touchdowns.

More points and more victories.

Eh, maybe not.

During an ugly 19-13 loss to Minnesota at Soldier Field on Monday night, we saw quite clearly that it doesn't matter who's calling plays if the players don't execute them.

Nick Foles was under siege most of the night, but even when given time he was off target when it mattered most.

For proof, look no further than the second play from scrimmage when Foles tried to hit a wide-open Anthony Miller.

Great play design. Great route. Great play call by offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.

But a poor throw resulted in a tipped ball and an interception.

Minnesota, which had just turned the ball over, scored six plays later to take a 7-0 lead.

Foles, who was 15 of 26 for 106 yards, was injured in the game's final minute when he was slammed to the turf. The veteran QB was carted off the field.

"I hope he's OK, but he was in a lot of pain," said Nagy, whose team has lost four straight and is 5-5. "When you see that - and you're down there with him - you feel for him just because you don't know how good or bad it is. That part's hard."

The Bears (5-5) weren't completely inept offensively in the first half. After all, they did go 70 yards on 14 plays on their second possession and trimmed the lead to 7-3.

Once again, however, a poor pass by Foles proved costly. It came on second-and-7 from the Vikings' 16 when Foles threw a pass to Jimmy Graham that sailed far out of reach.

If that ball's on target, it's a touchdown.

On the bright side, give Cordarrelle Patterson props for stepping up as the feature back in the absence of David Montgomery, who was out with a concussion.

In the first half, Patterson picked up 25 hard-earned yards on 7 carries and caught an important pass for 9 yards. He then gave the Bears a serious shot of momentum by returning the second-half kickoff 104 yards to put his team up 13-7.

The third quarter, as usual, was cover-your-eyes time for fans as the offense went three-and-out on all three possessions.

Seriously, how hard is it to make halftime adjustments? Because for the Bears, who have 14 third-quarter points ALL SEASON, its seems downright impossible.

The Bears still had a chance late, but Foles' fourth-down toss sailed just over Anthony Miller's outstretched fingertips at the 3-yard line with 2:04 remaining.

"We've lost four in a row; it's not going how we want it to," said Patterson, who managed just 5 yards on 5 carries in the second half. "Offensively, we've just got to step up. We're not good enough right now. Everybody (can) see that. It's no secret. ...

"We've just got to play better because the defense, they (are) playing lights out each and every week. They're setting us up every time to score points and get the win, and we're just not coming out on top.

"This bye week is gonna be real critical for people to get healthy."

That's for sure. Because if Foles and Mitch Trubisky both remain out, it means Tyler Bray might be leading the Bears out to face Green Bay at Lambeau Field in a nationally televised game.

And good luck coming up with a game plan for that scenario.