Bear Down, Nerd Up: Tyson Bagent’s starting debut by the numbers

When the Bears beat the Raiders on Sunday at Soldier Field, Tyson Bagent became the first Bears rookie quarterback to win his starting debut since Craig Krenzel in 2004.

That was a long time ago.

Bagent didn’t do anything flashy in his first NFL start, but he did enough to win the football game, with the help of a Bears rushing attack that is firing on all cylinders.

Here are the stats, numbers and figures that stood out in Week 7 for the Bears. Bring out your calculators for this week’s Bear Down, Nerd Up.

QB won: Bagent became the first undrafted rookie to start a game for the Bears since at least 1960, according to the team. The last undrafted quarterback (nonrookie) to start a game was Chase Daniel in 2019. The last undrafted quarterback (nonrookie) to make his starting debut as a member of the Bears was Caleb Hanie in 2011.

The Bears kept the game plan simple with a backup starting at quarterback.

During the game, Bagent attempted only five passes that went more than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. He was 2 for 5 on such throws, totaling 28 passing yards. He did not attempt a single pass more than 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

None of that is meant to be a criticism. In fact, it’s smart game planning from the Bears when they have a rookie making his first start. Keep it simple.

Bagent’s passes averaged 2.1 intended air yards (yards beyond the line of scrimmage), per NFL Next Gen Stats. That is the lowest total for any qualified quarterback (minimum 15 pass attempts in a game) so far this season. It’s the lowest total of any QB in a single game since PJ Walker’s astounding 0.1 air yards during his first start with Carolina in Week 6 of last season.

Per Next Gen Stats, Bagent released the football on average 2.75 seconds after the snap, which was among the top 10 quickest in Week 7.

Scoring machine: With three total touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, running back D’Onta Foreman matched his career high. As a member of the Carolina Panthers last season, Foreman had a three-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8.

Foreman became the first Bears running back to score three times in one game since Jordan Howard did so on Dec. 4, 2016, against San Francisco. He is only the third Bears running back to score three times since 2000. Matt Forte did so twice during the 2013 season.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, only five Bears players have had two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown in a single game over the past 60 seasons: Foreman, Forte, Neal Anderson, Walter Payton and Gale Sayers.

Running wild: With Foreman leading the way this week, the Bears’ run game is on a roll. The offensive line, despite being banged up, played well against the Raiders. Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick and Teven Jenkins were really good on the interior. Jenkins and Darnell Wright are a two-headed monster on the right side at right guard and right tackle, respectively.

The Bears rushed for 173 yards against Las Vegas. As a team, the offense has totaled 162 rushing yards or more in each of the previous four games. The Bears have quietly moved up to become the sixth-ranked rushing attack by yards per game (141.3 yards). Only Miami, San Francisco, Cleveland, Baltimore and Philadelphia are averaging more yards per game. The Bears rank fifth in the league with 4.75 yards per carry (behind Miami, Arizona, the Jets and Denver).

Last year, when the run game was really rolling, the Bears rushed for 237 yards or more for five straight games between Week 6 and Week 10. It’s promising that this time around the Bears are doing it, but they’re not relying on Justin Fields to carry the load like they did last year. Fields’ highest rushing total during this current four-game span was his 57 yards against Washington (he, of course, didn’t play this week).

Larry Borom, who has started five games at left tackle, is underrated as a run blocker. Foreman and running back Darrynton Evans ran for the most yards (70 of their combined 137 rushing yards) when running wide of the left tackle, per Next Gen Stats.

Takeaway time: The Bears had three interceptions Sunday. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson recorded two of them, and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds had the other.

Johnson became the first Bears player with two interceptions in a game since Roquan Smith had two picks against Jacksonville on Dec. 27, 2020. Johnson is one of 17 NFL defenders with multiple interceptions this season.

For Edmunds, his interception was his first as a member of the Bears (his takeaway a week earlier against Minnesota later was ruled a fumble recovery). It was Edmunds’ sixth career interception.

Run stoppers: The Bears have quietly been really good against the run in recent weeks. They’ve held opponents to 114 rushing yards over the past three games (38 yards per game).

“We had some guys injured in the beginning of the year, and then we had our secondary issues going forward, and now we’ve got guys back,” Eberflus said. “I think it’s just continuity.”

We had some guys injured in the beginning of the year, and then we had our secondary issues going forward, and now we’ve got guys back. I think it’s just continuity.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

Eberflus also has been calling the defensive plays over that entire stretch. Continuity at the play-caller spot is important, too.

It also helps that Washington, Minnesota and Las Vegas are three mediocre rushing attacks, and that the Commanders and the Raiders were playing from behind in the second half of those games.

But the numbers are the numbers. The Bears’ defense now ranks fifth among NFL teams against the run, averaging 82.3 rushing yards per game. Only Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco and Jacksonville have been better. The Bears are allowing 3.43 yards per attempt, ranked second behind only New England.