The Chicago Bears somehow managed to pull off a performance worse than last week’s stunning loss to the Washington Commanders. Keeping Caleb Williams in the game down 29-9 against the Arizona Cardinals to practice a two-minute drill—nearly resulting in a serious injury—was questionable enough. But even worse was allowing a 53-yard touchdown with just 12 seconds left in the first half. While that’s not a good thing by any stretch of the imagination, it poses a thought: the Bears seem to be facing an identity crisis, and their failure to address it has kept them stuck in a cycle of mediocrity.
Chicago Bears’ Identity Crisis: Trapped in a Cycle of Mediocrity
No one has faced more criticism over the past few weeks than Head Coach Matt Eberflus, and for good reason. There’s plenty to scrutinize, from his 3-17 road record with a -161 point differential to losing four games with a 91% win probability or higher in the fourth quarter, repeatedly avoiding accountability and more. What’s most frustrating about Eberflus is his tendency to blame the Bears’ issues on player execution. As head coach, his responsibility is to put players in a position to succeed—something he clearly isn’t doing.
Eberflus doesn’t deserve to continue being the HC for the Bears, but the problems stem deeper than just him.
Ownership Is an Issue
The Chicago Bears have a long-standing reluctance to fire head coaches midseason. To ownership, it may seem like a matter of grit and principle, but to the rest of us, it’s a sign of being stingy. The McCaskey family, the Bears’ majority owners, seem less invested in the team’s on-field success. They’re unwilling to pay for a top-tier coach and too controlling to grant the General Manager enough authority to make key decisions, like hiring or firing the Head Coach. Take the Washington Commanders, for instance—once they moved on from owner Dan Snyder, they quickly regained relevance, now sitting at 7-2. The McCaskeys are good people, but if they genuinely want the Bears to be more than a mediocre franchise, showing commitment to becoming better no matter what it takes would bring a lot of joy to Bears fans.
Never-Ending Cycle
The Chicago Bears have been stuck in a repetitive cycle: draft a rookie quarterback, fire the head coach the following year, and fail to develop the quarterback. The Bears finally have a promising quarterback, which is fantastic, but they need to find the right head coach. Last offseason, it was reported that Detroit Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson was interested in the Bears’ head coaching job if Matt Eberflus was let go. However, the Bears chose to stick with Eberflus, disappointing fans who wanted Johnson. Ownership reportedly wasn’t willing to pay Johnson’s requested $15 million salary, reinforcing the perception that the McCaskey family is content with mediocrity, stuck in a perpetual search for the right head coach and quarterback.
There’s no alignment between players, coaching, and ownership. Until there are changes at the top, it’s hard to feel hopeful about the team’s future. The fans deserve better. The players deserve better. But for ownership, this should serve as a reality check to change and adapt before it’s too late.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
