Rozner: Bears can establish a new identity with a win in L.A. - if Nagy lets them

The immortal Jeff Driskel, amid so many terrible throws Sunday, had just fired a ball directly to Nick Kwiatkoski.

The 2-yard pass was so bad that even if the Bears' linebacker hadn't stepped in to grab it, Kyle Fuller had also jumped in front of Lions receiver Kenny Golladay and would have easily picked off the pass.

Up 13-6, any observer would have looked at the Detroit offense and thought the contest was over, barring something foolish from the Bears' offense.

They had the ball on the Detroit 25 and any Bears points would almost certainly lock up the contest.

So the assumption was the Bears would go to the run game, use a fullback and let David Montgomery pound the football behind him.

Easy, right?

Instead, Matt Nagy tried a double reverse that lost a yard, a play so ridiculous as to elicit laughter in a press box that has been solidly behind the Ryan Pace program for many years.

Not a good sign when cheerleading and apologies turn to chuckles and scorn.

Mitch Trubisky, on third-and-long, bailed out his coach with a nice touchdown throw to Taylor Gabriel - one of his best of the year - but it seems that no matter what is working, Nagy can't stand good fortune and will continue to try to prove that his innovation and magic trumps all else in the NFL.

The Bears finished the game with 5 straight punts, 4 drives going 3-and-out, with a mix of 10 runs and 10 drop-backs - including 3 sacks - but 3 run plays were on the final drive when Nagy decided finally to run some clock or force Detroit to burn timeouts.

Running the football is boring. Wacky plays are exciting. And nothing is better than throwing it far down the football field.

Nagy just can't help himself.

It happens over and over and over again, and there's no reason to think this will change.

But it brings us to the Sunday nighter and another very winnable game in Los Angeles, where the Rams have gone to pieces.

They've lost four of six as their once great offensive line has come apart at the seams.

After two very healthy years up front, the Rams just lost their starting center and a starting tackle, after recently losing a starting guard. The backups are all inexperienced and the Los Angeles offense has disappeared.

This should be a chance for the Bears' defense to fatten up and get right, assuming the Bears' offense can play it smart.

Rams corner Jalen Ramsey is going to be staring down Trubisky as he stares down receivers, and it's a pick-6 waiting to happen.

The Los Angeles defense is obviously very good and their run defense is particularly tough, which could give Nagy the excuse he needs to throw it all over the field.

And how has that worked out for the Bears in 2019?

No, he needs to run the football. He needs to put them in the I-formation, let the fullback plow the road and stay with the run, even if it fails on first down, which is always the Nagy recipe for giving up on the rush.

This could be an identity game for the Bears, a game in which the head coach denies all that he wants the offense to be and instead gives a busted-up offensive line a chance to run downhill and establish that this is who the Bears will be going forward.

Not saying that's likely. There's too much evidence to suggest otherwise, especially when Nagy always has a postgame excuse for why he has to stop running the football and promote Trubisky's grand progress.

One victory over the Lions does not change the 2019 narrative, but a victory over the Rams would get the Bears back to .500 and allow Nagy to keep the players' attention for the final six games, a schedule that includes the Giants and Lions the next two weeks.

The Bears are a 7-point dog heading into this one, which tells you much about how Nagy and Trubisky are viewed around the country.

It doesn't mean they can't win this game heading into a soft part of the schedule, and if they do the fan base can start talking again about how the final game of the season in Minnesota could have meaning.

There's an opportunity for the Bears Sunday night. They might just consider staying away from the triple-reverse, halfback-option throw to the QB.

It's a thought, anyway.