The Chicago Bears return home this weekend to host the San Francisco 49ers, and they'll prepare for the contest without their head coach in attendance for at least the next couple of days.
Matt Nagy announced Monday he has tested positive for COVID-19. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will stand in for Nagy in full team settings while Nagy is absent due to the coronavirus. Nagy is vaccinated, leaving open the possibility for a return in time for Chicago's Week 8 game against San Francisco.
With four players on the reserve/COVID-19 list and Nagy positive for the novel coronavirus, the Bears are now in enhanced mitigation protocols, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported, per sources. That means mandatory mask-wearing around the team facility and daily testing for all players and staff, regardless of vaccination status.
Chicago is coming off a 38-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in which the Bears could do very little right, turning the ball over five times, converting 2 of 11 third-down attempts and managing to score just three points when already facing a 21-0 deficit. The Bears dropped to 3-4 and have a tough stretch ahead of them that includes meetings with Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Arizona and Green Bay before the midway point of December.
Nagy pivoted the discussion -- which took place via Zoom due to Nagy's positive test -- back to football following his announcement. The coach pointed to Chicago's offensive struggles, which have seen the Bears get outscored 62-17 in their last two games, as an area of focus entering Week 8.
"We need to score a lot more points ... so we can win," Nagy said, via ESPN's Michele Steele.
Nagy will attempt to turn things back toward the positive while working remotely for the time being.
