INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent said he had a cannon. On the first play Sunday against the Chargers, who fire blanks from a wheeled cannon every time they score, he showed it off.
One week after Bagent dinked-and-dunked the Bears to a victory against the Raiders — he never threw farther downfield than 15 yards — he connected with receiver Darnell Mooney down the right sideline for a 41-yard gain to start the game. It could have been a touchdown, too. Mooney was whistled down despite appearing not to be touched by a defender while on the ground.
It looked like the Bagent magic — complete with his arm-wrestler father cheering him on while wearing gear from Bagent’s alma mater, Division II Shepherd University — had traveled to prime time.
Then it fizzled. With Justin Fields watching while wearing a brace on his once-dislocated right thumb, the Bears lost 30-13 at SoFi Stadium in a game that never felt that close.
‘‘The start we had was not what we wanted,’’ coach Matt Eberflus said.
Sunday was sobering — for Bagent, for a porous Bears defense and for a coaching staff that was riding a rare week of momentum after a second victory this season.
Bagent made a few big-league throws and didn’t look overwhelmed. A week ago, in his first career start, that was considered a rousing success worthy of national attention.
On Sunday, it was simply not enough to carry the Bears against a Chargers team that entered the game with two victories.
Bagent went 25-for-37 for 232 yards with two interceptions and a passer rating of 62. He led the 2-6 Bears to two scoring drives, but the second, which ended in a one-yard sneak for a touchdown, came with them down by 23 with less than three minutes left.
Take out the kneeldowns at the end of each half, and four of the Bears’ nine drives ended in four plays or fewer. The Chargers, to the contrary, scored on each of their first five possessions (three touchdowns and two field goals).
This wasn’t merely a case of the expectations for Bagent being ratcheted up a week after beating the Raiders. It was a realization that the Bears don’t have a roster that can win many, if any, games with a quarterback simply managing the game. Fields, for all his flaws, is a playmaker — with his legs and his right arm, in that order — when things are going well. Bagent wasn’t Sunday.
Perhaps it was never fair to expect Bagent to elevate the offense or a team that had the worst record in the NFL last season and had shown only glimpses of competent play long before Fields was hurt against the Vikings. Bears fans who had spent the last seven days dreaming about that very scenario, however, were hit in the face with reality. The Bears were back to being bad — and boring.
After the deep ball to Mooney, Bagent handed off twice for a loss of three yards before former Bears edge rusher Khalil Mack — a symbol of the team’s rebuild — sacked him.
“You get a big explosive play, and we don’t and we don’t take advantage of that,” Eberflus said. “Take that opportunity and create a scoring opportunity — at least a field goal.”
The Chargers forced a punt, marched 92 yards to score and never relinquished the lead.
‘‘We get on a roll, even on that first drive, and we kept on doing those self-inflicted wounds,’’ guard Teven Jenkins said.
One week after looking nearly flawless in a conservative game plan against the Raiders, Bagent made mistakes. On third-and-eight two minutes into the second quarter, he threw a pass straight to Chargers cornerback Ja’Sir Taylor. The Chargers switched to an inverted Cover 2 and Moore’s route changed.
“A little miscommunication between me and [Moore],” Bagent said. “That’s completely on me. I just have to get off of it and continue to go through my progressions.”
He also threw an interception to safety Derwin James on fourth-and-three in the fourth quarter.
Bagent needed help from his offensive teammates and never got it. In the second quarter, receiver Velus Jones was wide-open in the end zone, slipped, fell on his backside and, while in a sitting position, had Bagent’s pass hit him in both hands. Hfe dropped it.
On fourth-and-one in the third quarter, running back Roschon Johnson was stopped for no gain. All those mistakes contributed to another humbling loss in a season full of them.
“When you sign up to play in this league,” Bagent said, “you’re signing up for ebbs and flows and highs and lows.”
Whether Bagent gets another chance to start will have to wait until Monday, when the Bears are expected to give another update about Fields’ recovery.
Bears fans who had wondered whether the team would be better off with Fields on the sideline, however, probably feel differently now.
“I took a lot from last week, I’m going to take a lot from this week,” Bagent said. “And I’ll take a lot from next week and the week after that, whether I’m starting or not.”
