Why Bears Might Need Different Version of Tyson Bagent

One success hasn't changed Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent.

"He's been the same guy; he's the same guy as he was last week," coach Matt Eberflus said. "He's prepared, he's focused, he's got that determined look in his eye."

The problem is, in another sense they may need him to be a different guy.

The tough truth facing the Bears when the run into the Los Angeles Chargers and Khalil Mack on Sunday night in prime time is last week is finished.

The dinking and dunking with completions averaging 2.1 yards downfield through the air and 4.6 air yards per attempt will be expected by the  Chargers defense geared to prevent this.

The Bears and Bagent need to adjust, but is it even possible with Bagent's arm strength?

"Yeah, it's the NFL, right?" Eberflus said. "That's what we do. Offensively and defensively, we attack what we see.

"We got to do a good job of having some multiplicity there, changing our looks, changing what we're going to do and how we're going to do it. That's the NFL. You got to do that week to week for sure."

Eberflus made it all sound like a game of 8-ball.

"We're always going to look to stretch vertically and horizontally in the passing game," he said. "That's always something that we look at. Really you look at the defense that you're playing. If they give you those opportunities vertically, you're going to take those. If it's in the side pockets, in the seam, and the deep part of the field or it might be intermediate routes, so you really are looking at those pockets all the time and the space which the defense gives you and you attack those spaces?"

Bagent doesn't think it's beyond his capacity to expand his game. After all, he did tell media last week he has a "cannon" for an arm.

"I said it before, I don't really drop myself in any category of being a pocket passer, dual threat," he said. "I just like to make plays for the team, and once again, whatever I'm asked to do from the coaches is what we'll get done and what will happen.

"So I don't want to put any limits anywhere."

A Bagent realizes the difficult task ahead against former Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa on the other side of the line.

The Chargers had seven sacks of Las Vegas' rookie QB Aidan O'Connell earlier this season. Actually, Mack had six of those in one game. So repeating last week's effort won't be easy.

"Yeah, that's why the NFL is so hard," Bagent said. "You've got to know when to eat the play. You've got to know when to take advantage of the play. You've got to know when to escape and you've got to know when to just throw it away or take a sack.

"Once again, we're not trying to be careful in doing anything, we just want to play our game as effective and as in synch as we possibly can."

Combined with the prime-time game, it's enough to overwhelm a rookie, but not the even-keeled Bagetn.

"I have the same nerves every week since I've been playing football," he said. "Just usually I'm just nerved up throughout the week unless we're in practice or unless, until we get to the pregame. Any time I'm on the field throughout the week I don't feel it but when you're in the room thinking about it, studying it, I am nerved up in those moments but that stays pretty consistent no matter what."