The Chicago Bears suffered one of the most heartbreaking defeats in recent memory against the Washington Commanders. Head Coach Matt Eberflus and the Bears had two whole weeks to prepare for this much-anticipated showdown, featuring top draft picks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Despite this, the Bears were outplayed and outcoached. The game’s final moments, culminating in a game-winning hail mary from Daniels, underscored a harsh truth: Under Eberflus, the Bears will never be playoff contenders.
With Matt Eberflus, the Bears Will Never Be Playoff Contenders
Despite a rough performance, the Bears managed to rally in the fourth quarter. Following a late touchdown by Roschon Johnson, they led 15-12 with just 25 seconds left on the clock. However, the Commanders’ final drive might be the reason Matt Eberflus is fired after the season. With 19 seconds left and no timeouts, Washington was pinned on their own 24-yard line. Instead of forcing Jayden Daniels to throw over the middle, Eberflus’s defense allowed Terry McLaurin a 13-yard catch to stop the clock by going out of bounds. But it didn’t end there. On the ensuing hail mary play, Eberflus deployed four rushers—mostly second-stringers—giving Daniels ample time to connect with Noah Brown for a touchdown. To make matters worse, the Bears’ defensive setup for the hail mary was poorly structured.
When asked about the play that let McLaurin secure an easy gain, Eberflus responded, “It doesn’t really matter. It’s always really going to come down to that last play.” For a head coach, dismissing such a crucial decision with “it doesn’t really matter” is a fireable offense—because every play matters. If Eberlus made better decisions, the Commanders would have never had the chance to attempt a game-winning hail mary.
Eberflus hasn’t won on the road this season, and it’s clear he only coaches well against bottom-of-the-barrel NFL teams. There are no more excuses for him.
#Bears HC Matt Eberflus' opening comment pic.twitter.com/q8p3La83cf
— Barroom Network | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) October 28, 2024
Matt Eberflus’ Inability to Take Accountability
As head coach, it’s your duty to set players up for success. Yet, after a poorly managed loss, Matt Eberflus had the nerve to shift blame onto the players’ execution in front of the media. Accountability is crucial for a head coach, and players can see through a lack of it. Bears beat reporter Dan Wiederer shared that, after hearing Eberflus address the team in the locker room, he felt some of Eberflus’ “positive spin on the day registers as very, very tone deaf” to what the team actually went through.
Eberflus is, without question, the worst head coach in the NFC North and is holding this team back from becoming a playoff contender. His habit of saying, “We need to be better next time,” instead of owning up with, “This was on me, and it won’t happen again,” speaks volumes.
Bears 4th quarter win probabilities:
- 2023 vs DEN – 98.1%
- 2023 at DET – 98.2%
- 2023 at CLE – 91.0%
- 2024 at WAS – 96.4%
They lost all four of these games.
Caleb Williams may not have had his best game, and Shane Waldron made questionable calls, but the lack of accountability ultimately falls on Eberflus. Other teams—the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions—are led by coaches who understand accountability and learn from their mistakes. Unfortunately for the Bears, Eberflus isn’t one of them. He won’t get fired during the season because the Bears don’t typically fire their coaches midseason, but over the offseason, he should no longer be the Bears head coach. It’s time to move on and hire an offensive-minded coach like Ben Johnson to unlock Williams and the rest of the Bears’ full potential.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
