Playing in an NFL regular-season game for the first time, Bears rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent noticed the difference. But not that much of a difference.
This wasn’t the preseason. And it certainly wasn’t Shepherd University. Exactly one year after he rallied Shepherd to victory in the second half against Millersville before a home crowd of 6,471 fans, Bagent was at it again on the NFL’s big stage Sunday — for the Bears and against the Vikings, before a Soldier Field crowd nearly 10 time the size (62,167) and in a moment even more exponentially bigger than he’s used to.
But it was still football, a game he’s played hundreds of times.
“Football’s football,” Bagent said. “The football feels the same size. [It’s] 11-on-11. You’re either going to run the ball or pass the ball. So I thought it was similar [to the preseason] but different, with the different pressures they were throwing.”
In an eventful NFL debut, Bagent showed off the moxie that transformed him from a post-draft flyer to the Bears’ No. 2 quarterback, but also the inexperience that spoiled a fairy tale story with a dose of NFL reality in a 19-13 loss to the Vikings.
On his third snap, Bagent lost a fumble on a strip-sack that turned into a Vikings defensive touchdown. On his last snap, he underthrew DJ Moore on a deep ball and was intercepted. But in between, Bagent provided a little intrigue by giving the Bears something it didn’t look like they had — a chance to win.
“He just doesn’t flinch — that’s the biggest thing,” rookie wide receiver Tyler Scott said. “He had command of the huddle. He had command of the offense. He just has this confidence about him.”
In back-to-back drives, Bagent was in control as the offense was building momentum toward an unlikely comeback. Bagent was 4-for-4 for 55 yards on a nine-play, 77-yard touchdown drive, scoring on a sneak to cut the Bears’ deficit to 19-13.
Suddenly, the game had turned in the Bears’ favor. The defense was energized, forcing a three-and-out on the Vikings’ ensuing drive. The offense was energized, as the Bears drove to the Vikings’ 35-yard line with 2:05 to go.
But on first down, Bagent saw an opportunity and went for the big play, but his pass under defensive pressure to DJ Moore inside the 10-yard line was underthrown and intercepted by cornerback Byron Murphy.
“DJ Moore, one of the best receivers in the world one-on-one — any time we can get that, we like it,” Bagent said. “Underthrew it a little bit. That’s on me and that’s something I gotta fix.”
Bagent completed 10 of 14 passes for 83 yards, no touchdowns and the one interception for a 56.5 passer rating. But by the eye test, he showed enough to keep the No. 2 job — and start Sunday against the Raiders if Fields can’t go.
“We’ll evaluate that,” Eberflus said, almost reflexively. “We believe in Tyson. We had him No. 2 for a reason and we feel strong about that. Once he got settled down … you could see what he can do.”
Bagent was glad that his father, a couple of friends and his godparents were at Soldier Field to see him play. But the game overrode any reflection he had in the aftermath.
“Just wanting a couple of those plays back. Would have liked a different outcome in the game,” Bagent said when asked about the emotion he was feeling. “After you think about that, [I’m] just extremely grateful for the life I’ve been blessed with — not a lot of people get to do what I do, in victory over defeat. Super thankful for my family [and] all my past relationships to help me get to this moment.”
But …
“But first [I’d] like to get back to the drawing board and get a couple of those plays back and correct it for next week.”