In Week 8, the Chicago Bears could hang their hats on knowing that they lost their comeback bid against the Washington Commanders on a last-second play that can be traced to one player being out of sync and out of position.
They will find no such respite following their 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9. The Bears’ offense never got out of first gear, again. The defense was bullied for most of the day. Both sides of the ball saw players suffer injuries that will only exacerbate those issues.
The Bears’ three-game winning streak has given way to back-to-back losses that continue their road-win drought. It will also amplify the noise around the organization and its direction around No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams.
Bears-Cardinals Takeaways: 2-Game Skid Ominous for Matt Eberflus, Chicago
Matt Eberflus Questioned During Bears’ Game Broadcast vs Cardinals
During the broadcast of the game, Charles Davis openly questioned Bears head coach Matt Eberflus and the coaching staff’s decision to keep Williams in the game amid a multi-touchdown deficit and multiple offensive linemen sidelined.
On 670 The Score’s postgame show, Patrick Mannely wondered if Bears general manager Ryan Poles was comfortable with that decision.
For what it is worth, Williams said after the game that he was ok.
He tweaked his ankle when a Cardinals defender did a “gator roll” on it at the end of the game. But Davis questioned Williams’ presence late in the contest long before the rookie was slow to pick himself up off the turf and it was one of many the head coach will face this week.
Eberflus shouldered the blame for the Cardinals’ 53-yard touchdown run at the end of the first half that staked them to a 21-9 lead.
He was also ridiculed for his messaging coming out of the break.
The only thing that matters is whether or not Eberflus still has the ear and commitment of the players in the locker room. Players openly questioned many of the decisions made in the loss to the Commanders, though, and suffered from many similar issues all game versus the Cardinals.
The Cardinals outgained the Bears 220 yards to 166, gaining 148 yards on the ground alone.
After allowing opponents to cross the 100-yard mark six times all of 2023, the Bears have already matched that mark with nine games to go in the 2024 season.
Caleb Williams’ Progress Under Current Coaching Staff
The Cardinals sacked Williams 6 times. It was reminiscent of Justin Fields’ first start in 2021, when the Cleveland Browns sacked him 9 times.
Then, former head coach Matt Nagy left Myles Garrett solo blocked all day.
Now, this was Williams’ eighth start. Despite the accuracy he was touted for coming in, Williams has the second-worst completion percentage among all rookie QBs to throw a pass. He is ahead of only New Orleans Saints fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler.
His 61.4% mark is the worst among the three rookies – including Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos – who have started every game for their team.
Make no mistake, Williams has had little chance to set up this season and again on Sunday.
Wow. @NextGenStats says *16* different Cardinals got a pressure against the Bears this Sunday. Most individual players to get a pressure for a defense since 2018.
Cardinals walked into the game with a 26.6% pressure rate and pressured Caleb on 46% of dropbacks
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) November 4, 2024
The injuries up front have not helped anything. But it was clear early on that things were not clicking for this offense and the continued lack of solutions has to be troubling. For all the talk about Waldron being a great teacher, his play-calling and the players’ understanding has become the question.
If Bears fans are feeling deja vu with Williams, it would be understandable. And ownership has to be wary they do not lose the youngster lest they repeat their all-too-familiar process.
One key example of their offensive futility in light of the expectations is tight end Gerald Everett.
The Bears signed Everett to a two-year, $12 million contract in free agency to be their TE2. He has six catches for 25 yards on 10 targets through 8 games.
Injuries a Long-Term Concern for Bears Secondary
The Bears were without several players, including three starters on defense. Montez Sweat missed his first game of the season, and his presence was sorely missed against the run even though he is most known as a pass rusher.
Starting safety Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon were both inactive, marking the third straight game for the former and the second straight for the latter.
Both players have missed significant time in their careers.
With one more year on their deals after this season, the Bears will have to begin weighing that when planning for their long-term future at those positions. Brisker is the physical presence in the secondary.
Gordon touted this week his role as a “mini QB” in the Bears’ defense, in charge of getting everyone lined up and making calls and adjustments.
But those traits only matter if they are on the field.
Brisker missed two games in each of his first two seasons. Gordon missed three games as a rookie and four in his second season. With the work that must be done to address the offensive line, dollars could quickly dry up for a valuable – but frequently unavailable – duo.
Week 10 a Gut Check Game for Bears
The Bears host the New England Patriots in Week 10. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye has completed 63.1% of his passes for 564 yards with 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in four starts this season.
Can the Bears’ defense rebound against a rookie QB? Their last outing against one of Williams’ classmates – Daniels and the Commanders – did not end well.
A loss to the 2-7 Patriots could be the straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back.
On Friday, Matt Eberflus said it was important to remember the big picture; that the Bears still had a winning record at 4-3. At 4-4, and with how they have looked during this stretch, falling back below .500 could do more than turn up the volume on the critics.
After the Patriots, the Bears still have all six of their division games. They will also visit the Super Bowl runner-up San Francisco 49ers, many of whom might remember Week 1 in 2022.