The Slide Continues

Rejoice Chicago, only 2 more home games left of this.

The Bears took on the Minnesota Vikings in an anticipated NFC North matchup and... once again fell to their opponent. It has become a trend over the course of my career as a beat reporter to report another Bears loss. This one, however, has followed a disturbing trend of late game decisions that have cost the Bears a crucial victory. The final score was 30-27 and it came after Caleb Williams led 3 drives to close the game, get an onside kick, then tie the game. Notable amongst the throws was a bullet to DJ Moore near the end of regulation to set the Bears up in field goal position. Unfortunately, it was all for naught, and the Bears fell to 4-7 on the season with their playoff hopes virtually gone. After the game, we caught up with head coach Matt Eberflus, who expressed frustration with how things played out but praised the “grit” and “determination” of his players. The offense battled back from a two-score deficit to force overtime against the Vikings, and it was due to the effort by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. He finished 32-of-47 for 340 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. He was able to spread the ball around to his skill players with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet, and Rome Odunze recording 7, 9, 7, and 5 receptions, respectively. Caleb’s footwork was efficient, and his throws were decisive. In a league where young quarterbacks struggle with adjusting to NFL passing “windows”, Caleb routinely found his man in tight spaces and placed it where they had a chance to make a play. As you can assume from the tone of this writing, this is where the good news ends.

Defensively, it was far from the performance you’d expect from such a talented group. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold went 22-of-34 for 330 yards and looked comfortable all afternoon. The Bears' linebackers routinely plugged the wrong gaps, and the secondary allowed chunk play after chunk play. To make matters worse, the defensive front failed to generate any meaningful pressure. Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington loves to generate pressure with his front four, but they consistently failed in that marker. Normally a team would adjust to this with simulated pressure on blitzing more but the Bears chose to forgo that option. Matt Eberflus was hired with the expectation that, as a defensive-minded coach, he would solidify it and continue the Chicago trend of having an excellent group. However, as the NFL season progresses, it’s becoming evident that this group is nothing more than "bum slayers." For those unfamiliar with the term, it refers to defensive units that dominate weak opponents but collapse against competent teams. In back-to-back weeks, the Bears have allowed nearly five yards per carry to starting running backs while playing soft coverage, giving up huge plays in the game’s most crucial moments. The unfortunate highlight of the game was second-year wide receiver Jordan Addison torching the Bears' secondary for eight catches, 162 yards, and a staggering 20+ yard average.

Quarterback Sam Darnold—yes, the six-year journeyman—looked like a man reborn. It didn’t matter the quarter or the field position; Darnold consistently found the open man. Even though several of his throws resembled the infamous meme: “Fuck it, he down there somewhere,” his play was top of the line. While the Bears’ defense struggled, the coaching staff’s decision-making was equally baffling. In the first half, faced with a 4th-and-2, Eberflus opted for a field goal instead of keeping the offense on the field. To make matters worse, right tackle Braxton Jones visibly threw his hands up in frustration, seemingly unhappy with the conservative call. Later in the game, a similar situation arose on a 4th-and-4. This time, the field goal unit rushed onto the field only to be waved off by the offense. Eberflus later took responsibility, claiming he needed to get the play call in earlier. However, to outside observers, this looked like an offense outright ignoring its head coach and taking matters into its own hands. It’s emblematic of the entire Bears season: players and coaches on different wavelengths, resulting in heartbreaking losses. This marks the third game this year (after the Commanders and Packers matchups) where the Bears had late momentum, only to squander it in the end.

The lone bright spot for Chicago remains Caleb Williams and interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. In his short tenure, Brown has transformed the offense, moving away from confusion over play calls and personnel groupings to decisive, effective play. He’s used pre-snap motion to scheme players open and trusted Caleb to rise to the occasion in high-pressure moments. Caleb even noted that, in clutch situations, Brown tells him through the headset: “Go be Superman” and to Caleb’s credit, he’s delivered. Sadly, his Herculean efforts have consistently been undermined by the team’s shortcomings. On special teams, things aren’t any better. Kicker Cairo Santos has struggled with depth and accuracy, with one of his kicks blocked in back-to-back weeks. Such issues crush team morale, and the road ahead only gets tougher.

At this juncture in the season, where do the Bears go from here? With roughly 90 hours until their Thanksgiving matchup, there’s little time to implement meaningful changes. Eberflus commented, “The team will be in tomorrow, we’ll make corrections and go from there.” While this is typical “coach-speak”, he’s not wrong—there’s no luxury of time for reflection or overhaul. However, after Thanksgiving, the organization faces a crucial decision. With playoff hopes nearly extinguished, it’s time to send a clear signal that the culture is changing. That begins with moving on from the head coach. While this move won’t salvage the season, it would demonstrate to players and fans alike that the franchise is serious about developing Caleb Williams and building a winning team. Kevin Warren faces an uphill battle as he seeks to secure funding for a new stadium. A winning team would undoubtedly make that proposition more appealing to taxpayers and city officials. Expecting sympathy and understanding while fielding a subpar product is a fool’s errand—one that I’d hope Warren understands. He and general manager Ryan Poles have the power to salvage what remains of the season and build upon Caleb’s success.

At least, that’s what a good organization would do. But this is the Chicago Bears we’re talking about—so don’t hold your breath.