Cubs News: Bagent talks second win of his career: "It was just a full-team effort" |
CHICAGO - Thursday night’s victory against the Carolina Panthers was the fourth game rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent has started this season. While there have been a lot of ups and downs, he did just what he needed to in order for the Bears to win and bring their record to 3-7. This may be the final game Bagent starts with quarterback Justin Fields looking poised to return in Chicago’s next game against the Detroit Lions on November 19 (Noon / FOX).
Still, that does not change his mentality and his preparation for the rest of the season. “Going out with a win is obviously fantastic for the team and I don’t know if this is really it, but nothing really changes for me with the preparation and how I’m going to attack every week. But, I learned that it’s really hard to win in the NFL,” Bagent said. “So, appreciate all the wins and just really, I appreciate the team, staff and players included. They’ve all rallied behind me extremely well. I never had to doubt for a second that they had my back.” One of the final plays of the game truly helped to show the confidence the Bears staff has in Bagent. On third and seven with 1:26 left in the game, they decided to throw the ball to seal the victory for Chicago. He succeeded, completing the pass for eight yards to receiver Darnell Mooney. Bagent explained that it was actually a play called earlier in the game and thus, it would be a successful play at this crucial point in the game. “Great communication between me and (offensive coordinator) Luke (Getsy) and understanding what he needed and what we’re looking to do. Ran a concept earlier on in the game, threw it to (wide receiver) Trent (Taylor), but we got the pass interference call,” Bagent said. “But, we knew the play was effective. So we went back to it, this time with Mooney and just, it was perfectly clear that it was fine to take a sack. So if it doesn’t look great, take a sack, allow the clock to run.” Mooney has been a favorite target for Bagent. During the course of the four games Bagent has started, Mooney has 12 receptions for 169 yards although he still has not had a touchdown reception since the season opener. One reason Bagent has developed such a strong connection with Mooney is they both share the same work ethic. “I think Mooney’s a stud. There’s nobody that deserves to catch the ball more than Mooney. I resemble a lot of his work ethic and respect a lot of what he does just as a worker,” Bagent said. “So, anytime he makes plays, obviously, I understand why he’s making plays. It’s because he works so hard day-in and day-out. Thought he made a great play.” Another factor that helped lead to the victory is the performance from running back D’Onta Foreman. Foreman had 21 rush attempts for 80 yards and a touchdown. Those 21 attempts is the most he has had in a game this season, and that was his first touchdown since his two-touchdown performance in Bagent’s first victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. Thus, having a productive running game is key for Chicago’s success, as Bagent also argued it helps to build momentum. “Winning these games is very momentum-based. You want to have the momentum as much as you can,” Bagent said. “So, whenever the o-line and the running back can tag-team themselves into being good on first down and second down, it’s always a good momentum boost and usually leads to an effective drive that ends in points.” Overall, this victory was arguably the best holistic performance the team has had all season, with a solid defense the entire game and a run game that dominated the line of scrimmage. Special teams also did well, with the exception of the punt returned for a touchdown by Carolina. This performance by the team overall is what Bagent seemed to appreciate most about the win. “It was just a full-team effort. I think we had our mishaps on offense, but I think that’s why football is such a special game because you got to do it in all three phases,” Bagent said. “Defense was outstanding. I thought special teams, other than the return, they made some great plays. So, a great team victory.”
