{"id":202463,"date":"2024-11-29T12:25:48","date_gmt":"2024-11-29T17:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=202463"},"modified":"2024-11-29T12:47:40","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T17:47:40","slug":"the-bears-future-is-shining-bright-after-firing-matt-eberflus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/29\/the-bears-future-is-shining-bright-after-firing-matt-eberflus\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bears Future Is Shining Bright After Firing Matt Eberflus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The moment Chicago Bears fans have been waiting for has arrived: head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/28\/with-matt-eberflus-the-bears-will-never-be-playoff-contenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Matt Eberflus<\/a> has been fired. For the first time in franchise history, the head coach has been fired midseason, and for good reason. It\u2019s not an exaggeration to say Eberflus is one of the worst head coaches in the history of the NFL. Now that he\u2019s gone, the future is shining brighter than a thousand suns for the Bears.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Source: The Bears are firing Matt Eberflus.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AlbertBreer\/status\/1862547178582855706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 29, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>The Bears Future Is Shining Bright After Firing Matt Eberflus<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Matt Eberflus\u2019 tenure as the Bears head coach ended with a disappointing 14-32 record and a 0-5 mark on challenges this season. There was an overwhelming amount of evidence to justify why Eberflus deserved to be fired. His tenure was best described by poor coordinator hires, ineptitude in challenging plays, an inability to hold leads, a lack of accountability, and poor game management.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Out of 221 coaches with 20+ career games decided by seven points or fewer, <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JoshDubowAP\/status\/1862242437932126545\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eberflus\u2019 .227 win percentage (5-17) ranks dead last.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This season alone, Eberflus oversaw a game-losing Hail Mary against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/washington-commanders\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Washington Commanders,<\/a> failed to position Cairo Santos for a closer field goal attempt against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/packers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Green Bay Packers,<\/a> and let the clock expire with a timeout left against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/lions\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Detroit Lions.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If not for his glaring mismanagement, the Bears could be sitting at 7-5 instead of 4-8. But enough about him\u2014let\u2019s focus on why the Bears future is trending up.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Caleb Williams Is The Franchise Quarterback<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s be clear: the Bears\u2019 struggles haven\u2019t been because of Caleb Williams. Against NFC North opponents, he\u2019s been outstanding:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>75\/117<\/b> <b>(64.1% completion)<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>827 passing yards<\/b><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>142 rushing yards<\/strong><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>5 touchdowns, 0 interceptions<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>98.8 passer rating<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He\u2019s picked it up recently, and with a capable head coach now in place, the Bears can avoid the kind of embarrassing losses that have plagued them. Williams\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/18\/caleb-williams-offers-something-the-bears-never-had-at-qb\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">unique ability to create plays out of nothing<\/a> is remarkable\u2014it\u2019s time to translate that talent into wins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CALEBcsw?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@CALEBcsw<\/a> with a dime to <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/idjmoore?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@idjmoore<\/a> \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa: <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CHIvsDET?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#CHIvsDET<\/a> on CBS <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TUZzXawnf7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/TUZzXawnf7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChicagoBears\/status\/1862233323067543647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 28, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Time to See What Thomas Brown Is Capable Of<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The decision to fire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and elevate Thomas Brown has revitalized the Bears&#8217; offense. In the short time Brown has been calling plays, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/25\/bears-oc-thomas-brown-is-turning-caleb-williams-into-superman\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Caleb Williams has looked unstoppable,<\/a> playing mistake-free football. He\u2019s already broken the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ChicagoBears\/status\/1862220831713034483\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rookie record for most consecutive passes without an interception<\/a> and is playing with newfound confidence. Brown even believes Williams hasn\u2019t come close to reaching his full potential\u2014something that may have been stifled under former head coach Matt Eberflus.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;At the end of the game, end of the half, he&#8217;s delivered, in a big way,&#8221; Brown said. &#8220;Which I think sometimes goes unnoticed because of the end result, which I get. But as a rookie quarterback who in my opinion <\/span><\/i><a  href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BearsMarquee\/status\/1861503277948420596\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has yet to scratch the surface of how good he can be.<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It&#8217;s my job and my focus to continue to try and find ways to make him the best he can be.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s evident that Brown has the ability to unlock Williams\u2019 full potential. Now, he\u2019ll have the remainder of the season to prove himself as the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AlbertBreer\/status\/1862547408963395632\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">interim head coach.<\/a> If he doesn\u2019t, the Bears will have <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/20\/sleeper-candidates-for-the-next-chicago-bears-head-coach\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">plenty of options for a new head coach<\/a> once the season ends.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>2025 Free Agency &amp; Draft<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Caleb Williams has shown flashes of superstardom, and thanks to Matt Eberflus\u2019 inability to win, the Bears now hold a likely top-15 draft pick. With a young, talented roster, the team is poised for improvement, especially after the offseason. The Bears are projected to have <\/span><a  href=\"https:\/\/overthecap.com\/salary-cap-space\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">$82 million in cap space,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allowing them to address several crucial needs. On top of that, they have three picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft. The potential is limitless for this team, and with a new head coach, the future is looking bright for the Chicago Bears.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: Lon Horwedel &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The moment Bears fans have been waiting for has arrived: Matt Eberflus has been fired. Now that he\u2019s gone, the future is shining bright.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4976,"featured_media":202468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,36],"tags":[10075,7403,8851,246,9704],"class_list":["post-202463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-nfl-news","tag-caleb-williams","tag-chicago-bears-news","tag-matt-eberflus","tag-nfl-news","tag-thomas-brown"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=202463"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/202463\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/202468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=202463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=202463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=202463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}