When a team like the Chicago Bears goes more than a decade without a playoff win and is on its fourth head coach in 12 seasons, weeks like this aren’t that uncommon.
Sunday’s loss to the Washington Commanders was the latest confounding way to the Bears lose. And while it was the latest late-game defeat with questionable coaching, this version of the Bears might have something others didn’t.
A quarterback.
The 2024 Bears have a great defense to lean on. They have the best trio of receivers the franchise has seen in a long time. The leadership is sound. There’s plenty of veteran experience. But rookie Caleb Williams might help overcome whatever has plagued the Bears under Matt Eberflus when it comes to close games.
That’s a lot to put on a rookie, especially when his offensive line is banged up. It’s a lot to put on Williams when the goal is for him to trust the talent around him and not try to do too much.
“At some point, I do want to be able to control as much as I can,” Williams said Wednesday. “I do understand that that’s a learning process. I do understand that I don’t know everything. I’m still learning. Both ears open to any coaching, whether it’s my teammates or whether it’s the coaches, things they’ve seen, things they’ve been a part of so that at some point, hopefully sooner rather than later — because I want to be able to affect the game very differently throughout the years in my career — I think that’s a goal of mine.”
Williams faces a Cardinals defense that is below average in most major statistical categories. He has got a chance to put up big numbers. It’s asking too much for him to be a hero, especially considering what’s ahead when NFC North play gets underway, but he might be the reason this version of Bears “drama” won’t linger.
Now, on to your questions.
Do you feel the poor decisions and outcome of this game have strained the culture and/or trust between players and the coaching staff? — Mark W.
You’d prefer teams don’t have more than one “galvanizing” or “breaking” point in a season. The Bears thought they had already gotten through theirs with the post-Week 3 conversations with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron about the direction of the offense. That seemed to be a positive.
“The Indy loss, we were tested then, and we bounced back with a three-game win streak,” receiver DJ Moore said this week. “Now we have this one.”
Will this galvanize the Bears or break them? I tend to think there are too many veterans and good leaders in the locker room to let it break them, but I’m not sure how many more of these losses that tend to hinge on coaching mistakes this group can take.
Winning cures all. This team is talented enough to persevere, but the division games are going to test them.
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I can guarantee that the Bears will run a shotgun handoff to D’Andre Swift for 2 yards on first-and-10 against the Cardinals. All kidding aside, why does the team always start off very slow on offense? — Joshua B.
You don’t even need to be kidding because the Bears have been really ineffective running the ball early in games on first down, and that’s a big reason for the slow starts. On first-half, first-down runs this season, Swift is averaging only 3.4 yards per carry with a long of 12 yards.
Waldron said Thursday that each game is different, but it is something they are talking about often.
“This past game there, obviously getting behind the sticks right away on that opening drive, then we get into the second drive and we move the ball down the field and then have a chance and then we have another penalty that puts us back behind the sticks a little bit,” he said. “It’s something that inwardly we’ve talked about every single week and it’s something we’ve addressed and talked through the why each game, because again, each game has its different set of issues that may present themselves.”
Swift’s carry to begin last week’s game went for 1 yard. That probably changed what the Bears ideally would’ve wanted to do on the second play. Williams got sacked, so naturally, that tossed out more favorable third-down plays.
Tight end Cole Kmet has said it’s an execution thing. Or the play calls aren’t putting the players in position to execute at a high level. When it’s this bad, everything is in play, and it’s hampering the Bears.
Happy Halloween Kevin! Looking at the current state of the team, which concern is looking the ~spookiest~ as it pertains to how this season will play out: O-line, coaching or the injury report? — Jack M.
The offensive line, which goes hand-in-hand a bit with the injury report. The Bears went from having continuity and feeling good about the line to losing two starters last Sunday, and then losing their top reserve (Bill Murray) for the season. And then after the game, we found out Kiran Amegadjie will miss time with a calf injury. Fortunately, they have Larry Borom and should get Ryan Bates back soon, but this group is going to have to adjust to another set of combinations. We’ve seen the way the offense breaks down if the protection isn’t there. To reference the theme from the top, Williams could be the key to overcoming any coaching errors, but if he’s constantly under pressure, then that isn’t reliable either.
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Hindsight always being what it is, do you think Flus hiring Waldron over Kliff Kingsbury (knowing they’re picking Caleb) was a move to not hire a potential head-coach replacement? It’s difficult to make sense of it knowing his connection to Caleb and seeing Kingsbury’s success with a rookie QB. Any word on why that hire never materialized? — Chris H.
Eberflus had his reasons for hiring Waldron — he clearly favored coaches from the Shanahan tree, and Waldron had the resume boost of also having coached for Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick. I don’t know why, and we won’t find out why Kingsbury wasn’t a good match.
However, I’m dubious about the theory that Eberflus didn’t want Kingsbury in the building out of fear he was hiring his replacement. Let’s play out the scenario — if the Bears hired Kingsbury, and then were bad enough to fire Eberflus, it’s fair to reason that the offense wasn’t good enough. So why would Kingsbury get hired as head coach?
When the Bears fired John Fox after the 2017 season, they interviewed Vic Fangio. That would’ve made some sense since Fangio’s defense was so good. Any hypothetical involving Eberflus losing his job likely includes an offense that wasn’t good enough despite the weapons. If Kingsbury was here and the Bears offense was having the success was Washington, well, guess what, no one would be talking about potential firings.
Have there been any games Caleb actually did well against the blitz? I’m having nightmares about playing the Vikings twice. — Ben T.
According to TruMedia, against the Panthers and Jaguars, Williams was 14-for-16 passing for 199 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz. In Washington, he was 5-for-11 for 66 yards. Arizona is 21st in blitz percentage (the Vikings rank second), but Washington is 14th and blitzed Williams more than any team has. I expect the Cardinals to dial it up against him. He has shown the ability to have success against it. The running back screens worked really well during the winning streak, but the Bears couldn’t get their screen game going in Washington. Let’s see if they go back to that or try to let Williams make quick reads on slant passes to his trio of receivers.
Cardinals Kyler Murray has played well against the Bears. Can they contain him on Sunday? (Jennifer Stewart / Getty Images)
Bears-Cardinals fun facts
• The Bears lead the oldest rivalry in football 58-29-6. The Decatur Staleys lost to the Chicago Cardinals 7-6 on Nov. 28, 1920, the first game in this series.
• Since the Cardinals moved to Arizona, the Bears lead the series 8-4, including a 4-1 record in the desert. The Bears’ lone loss in Arizona came in 1998.
• Last season, the Bears beat the Cardinals 27-16. Justin Fields had a passing touchdown and a rushing TD.
• The last time these teams met in Glendale, Ariz., the Bears prevailed 16-14. The defense had three interceptions and a fumble recovery.
• In two games against the Bears, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has four touchdown passes and no interceptions. He also has rushed for two scores.
• Eberflus is 0-17 in road games on Sundays (he’s 3-17 on the road overall). The Bears’ last Sunday road win came on Dec. 26, 2021, in Seattle.
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Game picks: Bears (+1) at Cardinals, 3:05 p.m. CT on CBS
Kevin Fishbain: Bears 29, Cardinals 19
(7-0 straight up, 3-4 against the spread)
It won’t mean the Bears are suddenly fixed or on track for the playoffs, but I’d expect a much better performance from Caleb Williams. Lost in the nonsense of the Hail Mary is that D’Andre Swift ran the ball really well, again, and the Bears would be wise to lean on him, too. This is a prideful locker room that wants to move on from Washington. That, more so than some big coaching fixes, is what could prevail.
Adam Jahns: Bears 27, Cardinals 20
(5-2, 5-2)
Entering this week, Arizona’s defense ranks 27th in opposing QB passer rating, 26th in passing yards allowed, 26th in rushing yards allowed, 24th in scoring and 32nd in third-down percentage. This should be a good game for Caleb Williams and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. The key word is “should.” At the very least, you can trust the Bears defense to keep the game close.
Dan Pompei: Bears 24, Cardinals 20
(4-3, 2-5)
The Bears can go one of two ways after the disaster in Washington. They can get knocked off the tracks and never recover or they can come back fighting with renewed spirit. The bet here is on the latter.
Jon Greenberg: Bears 27, Cardinals 23
(4-3, 4-3)
I’m going to keep picking the Bears to win a road game until it actually happens. Eberflus is 3-17 on the road and even in the context of his first season’s goal (to lose a lot of games), that is atrocious. Now would be a good time to win one.
Doug Haller (Arizona columnist): Cardinals 24, Bears 23
I’ve discarded the Cardinals a couple of times. A lot of folks have. But they won’t go away. This is a resilient group that’s gaining confidence. Kyler Murray is playing his best football. Marvin Harrison Jr. (finally) looks comfortable. A beat-up offensive line gets stronger in the second half. For the past month, the defense has been good enough to keep games close. That won’t work every week, but it will again Sunday.
(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
