Luke Getsy Defends Pivotal Call On 4th Down Failed TD

NFL games can often turn on one big play. For the Chicago Bears, it is obvious what that play was on Sunday night in Green Bay. Trailing 24-10, the offense had driven down to the Packers’ one-yard line. A touchdown would make it a one-score game with plenty of time. It was 4th and goal. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy dialed up a play that had Justin Fields in the shotgun and ran a quarterback keeper.

It didn’t work. At least not according to the officials. Replays showed that Fields had a strong case for having hit the goal line with the ball. However, it wasn’t enough to overturn the original call on the field. Green Bay took over, drained the clock, and put the game out of reach with a field goal.

Many didn’t like Getsy’s call, feeling it allowed for too many things to go wrong. When asked about it on Wednesday, the coordinator didn’t second-guess his decision. He believes it was the right call and would do it again if given another chance. Replays showed it could’ve worked. Unfortunately, the execution up front wasn’t good. Too much penetration was allowed and never allowed Fields to get a full head of steam.

Luke Getsy has a fair argument.

If Lucas Patrick had not been cluttered during his pull, it’s likely Fields would follow him into the end zone. The left side of the offensive line didn’t generate enough push on the initial surge. It could’ve worked, but it required precise execution. Asking that out of an offensive line with limited experience in this new offense feels questionable, especially against such a strong defensive front. It feels like the smarter decision would’ve been a simple QB sneak from under center.

Sadly there are no do-overs in the NFL. The truth is Chicago likely still would’ve lost the game even if they had scored. There were many other problems with the offense. If they’d played better earlier in the game, they never would’ve been in that position. Luke Getsy is focused on that. He wants better execution in every phase. There is no sense worrying about one play call.