NEWSLETTER
It didn’t take long for Luke Getsy to find a soft landing.
Fired in early January and removed from his post as the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator, Getsy officially became the Las Vegas Raiders’ play caller on the offensive side of the ball on Tuesday. After watching Chicago’s offense take steps back in 2023, I wasn’t sure if Getsy would get an offensive coordinator position in 2024. And I definitely didn’t think he’d get another opportunity to be the top dog on offense under a defensive-leaning head coach.
But as it turns out, Luke Getsy left a lasting impression from when the Bears and Raiders squared off last fall:
The quarterback whose name slipped Raiders Head Coach Antonio Pierce’s mind was Tyson Bagent. As for the running back in question, that was D’Onta Foreman — who won the NFL’s Ground Player of the Week award for his efforts in that game. Pierce might not remember their names, but Bears fans certainly will.
Luke Getsy owes Tyson Bagent and D’Onta Foreman thank you cards
If you’ll recall, that was Bagent’s first start as a quarterback in the NFL. In that game, Bagent completed 21 of 29 passes (72.4 percent completion rate) for 162 yards, one passing touchdown, no interceptions, and a 97.2 passer rating. The start of Bagentmania was a short-lived reprieve from an ugly early-season start for the Bears. As for Foreman, his HUGE game for the Bears against the Raiders on that late October afternoon was a breath of fresh air. Foreman scored three total touchdowns and had 120 scrimmage yards. I can understand why Bagent’s name didn’t immediately come to mind. But Foreman is a seasoned vet with a legitimate résumé. What’s up with that?
In a way, it makes sense that this type of game caught the eye of the Raiders’ head coach. Pierce, a former NFL linebacker, seems to want to play with a tough, run-first type of offense. With Pro Bowl running back Josh Jacobs in tow and questions aplenty at the quarterback position, it makes sense as to why Getsy’s run-heavy game plan would stick with Pierce months later. The Bears ran it (38 attempts) more than they threw it (29 times) and gained more on the ground (173 yards) than through the air (150).
BEARS 30, RAIDERS 12: Tyson Bagent Gets Win No. 1
In all fairness, it was the kind of game plan that gave us hope that Luke Getsy could engineer an in-season turnaround when Justin Fields was healthy again. But as we all know by now, that is not what happened. But if that ground-and-pound is what the Raiders want, then I hope (for their sake) they get that version of Luke Getsy. What I fear, on behalf of Raiders fans, is the version of Getsy that shows up is the stubborn one who wasn’t willing to adapt to the personnel at his disposal. Or perhaps the version of Getsy who frustrated Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus in December.
At the end of the day, I can’t help but chuckle while thinking about how this went down. Of all the games to be a résumé-builder for Luke Getsy, I didn’t see a Week 7 contest between the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders as a showcase game. But it turns out that is exactly what it turned out to be. You really can’t script the NFL!
