Tyson Bagent didn’t have to be amazing in his first NFL start.
He just had to be fine, which he was. And that was amazing in its own way.
And energizing.
The Bears rarely make Sundays enjoyable, and their shot at victory is oftentimes so thin that it doesn’t take much to squash it, but Bagent delivered a clean, efficient performance to beat the Raiders 30-12 at Soldier Field.
Set aside the details and the big picture for a moment and enjoy what happened Sunday: A kid who grew up in the middle of nowhere in West Virginia, played Division II and went undrafted just stepped up and won a game for the Bears as a rookie.
That’s a spectacular story.
“Where I come from, I’ve got a bunch of friends and family that understood how big this was — just in life,” Bagent said. “Not a lot of people get to say they started an NFL game, let alone win an NFL game.
“Definitely had a lot of those conversations today. The staff understood it, too, and the players. That’s why everybody rallied behind me as well as they did.”
Everything went Bagent’s way, including the patchwork offensive line banding together for one of its best performances. He cashed in on that by completing 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown for a 97.2 passer rating, plus he ran three times for 24 yards, including a 12-yard scramble on a second-and-11 in the third quarter to extend a drive that eventually led to a touchdown and a 21-3 lead.
And, most important, the obvious No. 1 on any backup quarterback’s checklist, he didn’t commit any turnovers.
Bagent was composed, quick and accurate. That’ll work.
“Like an NFL quarterback,” said wide receiver DJ Moore, extending an enormous, understated compliment. “He came in loud and took control of the huddle. We felt his presence. We wanted to go out there and ball for him. You see the result of it.
“He took what they were giving him, stayed within himself. He didn’t go out and do nothing extraordinary. He just stayed calm, collected and did what he had to do.”
It was a riveting diversion from the main plot of the season: Whether Justin Fields, in his last shot, can convince the Bears he’s the franchise quarterback they’ve craved for decades.
Fields’ long-term outlook already was cloudy when he left with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand against the Vikings and opened the door for Bagent, but the Bears are adamant about giving him every opportunity over the last 10 games to make his case.
Bagent would have to do a lot more than throw for 162 yards and beat the Raiders, who were playing backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, to start a real debate at Halas Hall.
“Justin is our starting quarterback,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “Tyson is the backup, came in and did a nice job.”
The bar is much lower for a backup proving he can play capably than for a first-round pick proving he’s the future of the franchise.
Bagent being competent and winning even a single game is a massive accomplishment for him after a college career in which the Raiders he faced were from Shippensburg University and the toughest opponent he faced was Colorado School of Mines. His climb is undeniable.
“I was impressed the first time he took the field in practice, and I was impressed today,” defensive tackle Justin Jones said. “I love to see him play.”
Bagent also is a success for the Bears, who scooped him up without using a draft pick, developed him into a viable option and have him under contract cheaply for three seasons.
Everyone around Bagent helped make this win possible — a collective effort the Bears have rarely enjoyed this season. Imagine if he’d spent the afternoon scrambling for safety or having to chase the Raiders by throwing all game.
But there was no such frenzy. Unlike most Bears games, this was under control from start to finish. After a three-and-out on the opening possession, Bagent steered the offense through a 69-yard drive that ended with running back D’Onta Foreman’s two-yard touchdown run to put the Bears up 7-0 late in the first quarter. They led the rest of the way.
When the defense came through with a takeaway, a tipped interception by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in the second quarter that set the Bears up at the Raiders’ 34-yard line, Bagent guided them to another touchdown. The lead ballooned from there, never slipping below 10 points.
Bagent was in charge throughout. He didn’t throw a pass deeper than 15 yards downfield, and his biggest gain was a 17-yard pass to Foreman on a throwback screen pass that he caught six yards behind the line of scrimmage. But it was blocked perfectly by interior linemen Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick and Teven Jenkins as they plowed ahead of Foreman.
“We couldn’t have executed that any better,” Bagent said. “Kind of a high-risk play when you throw the ball back across the field.”
But when everything’s clicking, it’s easier for coaches to take that chance.
And Bagent gets a lot of credit for keeping everything running well. He admitted he was nervous heading into the game, but it didn’t show. His poise helped settle the Bears at a juncture when they could’ve imploded.
