NFC Notes: Tyson Bagent, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Bears OC Luke Getsy said QB Tyson Bagent operated the gameplan and managed the game perfectly.

“Just the fact that we were able to go out there and operate clean,” Getsy said, via PFT. “He went out and kept his poise like we expected him to do. He did a really nice job of handling — it’s not just the pass game, it’s the run game that we put a lot on our quarterbacks to do a lot. He obviously went out there and showed he was able to do that.”

Lions

Lions HC Dan Campbell is comfortable with the state of the wide receiver room even after the departure of WR Marvin Jones.

“We’re doing pretty good in the receiver room,” Campbell said, via Lions Wire. “We’ve got the five that were up last week. We’ve got some young guys there on the (practice) squad that have been practicing and working. So we feel pretty good.”

• Lions HC Dan Campbell said RB David Montgomery (ribs) did not practice on Thursday but “continues to improve,” via Dave Birkett. 

Packers

Packers HC Matt LaFleur had high praise of S Jonathan Owens for filling S Darnell Savage‘s role after his injury. 

“I thought he stepped in and did a nice job,” LaFleur said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “And we’re going to need that moving forward. Certainly, I think that just the timing of some of those third-down penalties … they’re critical penalties to extend drives and especially if you’ve got a guy and you’ve got a post safety, like, they may call it, they may not call it. He got called, so it’s just trying to play with great fundamentals, great technique and trust in your help when you have it.”

Owens has been carrying a next-man-up mentality and is focused on performing like a usual starter. 

“The next man has to come in and perform as the starter does,” said Owens. “I’ve put in enough on the field to where the coaches do trust me and that’s a good feeling. Someone has to step up. That’s pretty much what the NFL is. The next man has to come in and perform as a starter does. Just ready for the opportunity. … I’ve put in enough on the field to where the coaches do trust me. That’s a good feeling. Just got to continue to build on that.”

As for creating turnovers on defense, LaFleur pointed out they’ve emphasized attacking the football similarly to other teams around the league. 

“Well, I think the emphasis, especially when you watch across the league and how people generate turnovers, is just it’s all the little things you’re doing,” LaFleur said. “How hard are you running after the football? When you get there, how are you attacking the ball carrier? Are you punching at the ball? Are you raking at the ball? All those little things add up. Are you able in the pass game to get your hand on a ball to maybe tip it up in the air to generate turnovers that way? Are you able to get to the quarterback? So there’s so many things that I know we can do at a higher level.”