As the first undrafted quarterback to play DII ball and start a game in the NFL, Tyson Bagent put on a game manager masterclass against the Raiders en route to a 30-12 victory
CHICAGO– Tyson Bagent is new to this. 62,000 people crowds, loaded media questions, and winning an NFL game. But from the looks of it on Sunday, you wouldn’t have known it. Just a couple of months ago, Bagent was playing in the 5,000 seat Ram Stadium in Shepardstown, West Virginia.
Now he just won his first career NFL game versus the Las Vegas Raiders.
You might be wondering how in the world we ended up. Bagent was stuck behind both Justin Fields and Nathan Peterman on a depth chart that has been filled with forgettable quarterbacks from years past. The Chicago Bears have been a pass-thrower graveyard, and with Fields’ recent struggles, the city has seemed to keep it’s foreboding nickname.
But maybe, just maybe, Bagent might change that. Undrafted from Division II Shepard University in West Virginia, Bagent got his first ever NFL start against the lowly, yet upwards trending Las Vegas Raiders. In a game where all Bagent had to do was hang on, he did just that.
Bagent threw for 162 yards on 21 completions and one touchdown. He also finished the day with no picks. While no one is calling for a MVP just yet, Bagent showed signs of winning that Justin Fields never has. He didn’t try to hit the home run ball every play, nor take off scrambling for his life.
Bagent kept a calm and cool composure in one of the most stressful positions in all of professional sports– quarterback.
“I think he was just himself, nothing different and nothing any different than we have seen through preseason up until now,” Bears running back D’onta Foreman said. “I think we all expected him to be that type of guy to come out there and do what he did today. So no surprise.”
The time came after Justin Fields went down last week against the Minnesota Vikings with a thumb, which would later prove to be dislocated. Bagent’s time at the reins of a Bears’ organization that so desperately needs a spark will end up being completely contingent on the nature of Fields’ injury. But after this game, people will only have one question in mind– does Fields even deserve to come back?
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In fact, in just one outing as the starter, Bagent posted a 30-12 victory, Chicago’s second of the season as we enter Week 8. In one game, the Division II superstar who didn’t even get the honor of hearing his name called on draft night matched the win total of a quarterback who was drafted 11th overall. Is it time for a new era in the Windy City?
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus doesn’t think so, “Justin is our starting quarterback. Tyson’s the backup, he came in and did a nice job. We don’t know where Justin is, we’ll see where he is, if it’s a week-to-week thing, we’ll assess it more tomorrow.”
After this week, Bagent will have a lot of labels. Game manager, a new tide, a fresh face. Call him whatever you want. We prefer the term efficient. Sure, Bagent didn’t go out there and play MJ’s flu game. But he didn’t have to. He proved to the world the Bears can get it done without superb quarterback play. And while the team didn’t exactly play the cream of the NFL, they sure have lost to a lot worse.
“When he was down, and then we activated him up, he was the same guy all the time, and that was pretty cool,” Eberflus said. “… He knew his opportunity was going to come. Last week, you know, he wanted to perform better, and today he did. So I think he’s just got to start stacking performances and keeping that positive, can-do attitude like he did.”
“I think it means a lot to a lot of people,” Bagent said talking about what it meant to win at home. “We have been looking for a win here at Soldier Field for a while.”
The Bears’ last home win at Soldier Field came last year against the Houston Texans. Nearly a year has passed, ad the fans in Chicago are growing restless and weary. Chants for a QB regime change have already begun circulating around the Chicago River, and it might be time for at least another Bagent experiment.
Chicago has invested so much into Fields, it’s hard to justify benching him so soon, but with the way things have gone as of late, the Bears have a dilemma and tough decision to make. Even if Matt Eberflus is reluctant to say it.
