Nick Foles threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter of the Chicago Bears win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He was given the starting quarterback job on Monday. Brynn Anderson/Associated Press
LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Nick Foles made a strong case for being the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears after a 30-26 comeback win Sunday over the Atlanta Falcons.
On Monday, Coach Matt Nagy confirmed Foles had done enough in a relief effort of Mitchell Trubisky and selected the Super Bowl 52 MVP as the Bears new starting quarterback.
“He’s our starter moving forward,” Nagy said of Foles.
Foles had come on in relief of Trubisky following Blidi Wreh-Wilson’s interception in the third quarter, and led a rally from a 26-10 deficit.
Nagy said frustration over the way the offense was struggling in the first half and the interception led to his decision. But he was also irritated by the way the Bears failed to come up with points on their first drive of the game when Cairo Santos missed a field-goal attempt. The coach had seen this type of situation too often in the past.
“We’re struggling on third down, we have 10 points, and then you get to the third quarter and we’re struggling a little bit and it’s an interception,” Nagy said. “And there’s just, you’re down 16, it ends up being a gut feel, you know what I mean?
“It’s what we felt at that time, what I felt. We went with it.”
In the fourth quarter, Foles threw three touchdown passes including a 28-yard TD against the blitz to Anthony Miller for the winning points with just under two minutes remaining. The play was basically ad-libbed by Foles with an adjustment made in the huddle to account for a blitz.
BRONCOS: Another day, another season-ending injury for the snake-bit Denver Broncos.
This time, it’s five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, who tore a biceps tendon against Tampa Bay in just his third game since the Broncos acquired him from the Titans in the offseason.
Casey missed just five games in his nine seasons with Tennessee.
Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Casey, whose injury was never noted Sunday, got hurt in the second half of Denver’s 28-10 loss to the Buccaneers but managed to finish the game.
“When I was watching the tape last night I saw the play where it happened. You could see him reach for his arm,” Fangio said. “With a lot of injuries, they don’t seem as bad as they end up being and guys are able to finish a la Bradley Chubb last year who finished the game when he had torn his ACL.”
Casey is the sixth starter the Broncos (0-3) have lost to injury, a cascade that began with linebacker Von Miller’s dislodged ankle tendon just before the opener that required surgery and is expected to sideline him until 2021.
Since then, the Broncos have lost wide receiver Courtland Sutton (ACL) for the season and several others for several weeks: quarterback Drew Lock (shoulder), running back Phillip Lindsay (toe), defensive end Dre’ Mont Jones (knee) and cornerback A.J. Bouye (shoulder).
TITANS: Tennesse improved to 3-0 despite not having its defensive play-caller on the sideline in Minnesota, and Coach Mike Vrabel said Monday assistant Shane Bowen remains in the COVID-19 protocol.
Testing results received Saturday morning led to the outside linebackers coach staying in Nashville and away from the Titans. Bowen calls defensive plays during games. Vrabel said he helped out and special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman wore a headset helping while Vrabel spent more time with the defense.
The Titans were outgained 464-444 but beat the Vikings 31-30.
“That’s our job is to be able to handle it and to function and move on and make sure that the team has everything it needs,” Vrabel said.
Vrabel said Matt Edwards helped with the outside linebackers, and so did the head coach. Vrabel said Bowen is helping too, though he is limited to working remotely, in a process that the Titans will follow until Bowen is allowed to return.
Asked if contact tracing might affect any players or other team personnel, Vrabel said they are following all the protocols related to COVID.
“That’s all I’ll say about it …,” Vrabel said. “We’re not into timetables or returns to play or coach.”
The Titans start a three-game homestand Sunday as they host Pittsburgh (3-0).
SEAHAWKS: Coach Pete Carroll said running back Chris Carson, safety Jamal Adams and guard Damien Lewis could bounce back quickly from injuries suffered in Sunday’s victory over Dallas.
Speaking on his radio show on KIRO-AM, Carroll said all the injuries suffered against the Cowboys were relatively minor. Carroll said Carson, Adams, Lewis and rookie linebacker Jordyn Brooks underwent MRIs on Sunday night and had what he termed “first-degree” injuries.
Carroll was most upset about the injury to Carson, who was hurt on a tackle by Dallas defensive lineman Trysten Hill. Carson was already down, but Hill continued to roll Carson’s legs and bent his knee awkwardly.
Carroll said they need to see how Carson responds to know if he’ll be able to play Sunday at Miami.
Adams left the game in the fourth quarter with a groin strain and Carroll said it was “really bothering him.”
Lewis suffered a sprained ankle in the first quarter and Carroll said there was a chance he could return against the Dolphins. Brooks also suffered a knee sprain that ended his first NFL start early. The first-round pick played just 14 snaps.
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