The Chicago Bears’ losing streak has reached five games. Despite scoring 10 points in the final two minutes of regulation to get the game into overtime, they couldn’t seal the deal. With a short turnaround to Thanksgiving on Thursday, we’re going to do a condensed Bears Takes for Week 12.
The Chicago Bears’ losing streak extended to five games on Sunday afternoon with a 30-27 overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Despite being down 10 points with less than two minutes left in the game, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams led a pair of scoring drives, with a recovered onside kick in between. What once felt like another deflating loss had a chance to be an improbable win. After winning the coin toss to open up overtime, the Bears’ offense went three-and-out, headlined by a nine-yard sack on second down. Ultimately, the defense couldn’t get off the field after a third-and-10 and a first-and-20.
Once again, plenty went wrong for the Bears on Sunday, but despite that, they had a chance to win the game. However, once again, they couldn’t get it done. At (4-7) and another tough loss in the books, they’ll have a short week to lick their wounds before heading to Detroit to face the NFL’s-best Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving morning. With six games remaining in the 2024 season, what’s left for Bears fans to watch for? We’ll dive into all that and more in Week 12’s abbreviated Bears Takes.
1. Despite another loss on Sunday, it’s hard for me to be down on this team’s future heading into 2025. Jim Harbaugh’s work in Year 1 with the Los Angeles Chargers is proof that the right team can be turned around seemingly overnight.
We’ll dive more into the Bears’ self-inflicted wounds later, but if you ignore that (almost impossible), there’s still plenty to feel good about moving into next season. Sure, they wasted a year of a cheap rookie quarterback deal. This team is playing well below their talent level due to coaching.
Looking over to the West Coast, Harbaugh is a prime example of how quickly things can turn for a team in one year. Frankly, you can point to a team like the Washington Commanders under Dan Quinn as another team that turned things around with a new coaching staff. The Harbaugh connection hits much closer to home for most Bears fans, but remember, Quinn was one of three finalists for the Bears’ head coaching job when Matt Eberflus was hired in 2022.
Outside of quarterback, I’m not sure you can make an argument that the Chargers have a better overall roster than Chicago. Sure, their defense is playing high, but this is primarily the same group that struggled mightily last season. Again, the common denominator comes down to coaching. Jesse Minter has become a hot name in the upcoming offseason’s head coaching pool. Harbaugh weathered the storm through Justin Herbert’s early-season injury and has his team at (7-3) and in firm control of a Wild Card spot heading into a Monday night showdown with up-and-down Baltimore Ravens. Remember, they weren’t a team that spent much money during free agency this past offseason.
For the Bears, the most important thing to figure out by the end of Week 18 is where their rookie quarterback stands. It’s been an up-and-down season, but he’s had impressive back-to-back performances (more on that in a few). There’s plenty of talent on this roster. More importantly, a lot of their core is still relatively young.
There are building blocks all over the roster. So, it’s important not to confuse a bad season for a lack of talent. With the right head coach, this team is firmly in the mix for the playoffs this season. Unfortunately, general manager Ryan Poles and the owner gambled on Eberflus and lost. Now, they must collect themselves, make suitable coaching hires, and hope to experience a quick turnaround in 2025.
2. In the category of “it’s not all bad,” rookie quarterback Caleb Williams stacked his second straight impressive performance against a very good defense.
Over Williams’ last two games, the outlook has been promising. This isn’t like his run against some of the league’s worst defenses, either. The improvements against the blitz are very noticeable. He’s got an (86.2%) adjusted completion rate, zero turnover-worthy plays, and 276 passing yards. This is a notable improvement considering the struggles against pressure during his rough three-game stretch.
Not only did he break the franchise’s rookie passing yard record midway through his 11th NFL game, he’s gone nearly 200 passing attempts without throwing an interception. He experienced his third 300-yard passing game of his young career. For context, Justin Fields still doesn’t have more than two, and it took Mitchell Trubisky 21 games to eclipse the same mark. To say Williams is showing extraordinarily more promise than his two predecessors would almost feel like understating it.
Over his last two games, he’s 55-of-78 (70.5%) for 571 passing yards, 103 rushing yards, two passing touchdowns, no turnovers, and a collective passer rating of just under 100. He’s getting the ball out quicker, taking fewer sacks, and his “Superman” plays appear in bunches. More importantly, his accuracy has drastically improved, as has his confidence.
Although offensive coordinator Thomas Brown isn’t going to get his talking point this week, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention him as a sizable factor in the rookie quarterback’s turnaround. The Sean McVay understudy has simplified the offense, given his young quarterback more confidence, and instilled basic common sense within the offensive game plan.
As noted above, Williams has done this against two quality defenses. His quarterback rating against the Vikings’ defense ranks third best. Although things haven’t always been picture-perfect, he’s playing more confidently, getting rid of the ball quicker, and using his legs with authority. Even though they’ve lost all three games, he’s led three game-winning/tying-caliber drives over his last five games. That’s not something we’ve seen a lot of in Chicago since the days of Jay Cutler. The growth needs to continue over these final six games. Still, the early returns of Brown as offensive coordinator should inspire plenty of optimism for Bears fans moving long into the offseason.
3. (Failed) Comeback or not, the fate of the Bears’ head coach appears clear. Matt Eberflus’ time in Chicago is coming to an end and Sunday was yet another game’s worth of proof as to why.
Following Sunday’s loss, Eberflus’ run of piss-poor records continues to mount.
- (5-18) in one-score games
- (2-of-10) on challenges
- (2-11) NFC North record
- (3-18) on the road
- Eight dismissed/fired assistant coaches
- Eberflus’ (.314) win percentage ranks third-worst in franchise history. He’s just three losses short of tying John Fox’s 34 losses.
As the list worsens, the Bears’ early-January decision becomes more apparent. Most realistic onlookers could have told you in January (when the team opted to keep him for a third year) that it was a mistake. I’m not sure many saw them collapsing after a (4-2) start, though. That’s where this team is after 11 games of Eberflus’ third year. Stuck.
Please don’t count me among the few who believe the team’s embattled coach can salvage his job. After losing the locker room coming out of the bye week and firing his second offensive coordinator in two-plus years, the writing has been on the wall since their losing streak began.
The more significant concern (to me) comes from the many teams expected to be looking for a new head coach and the watered-down candidate pool they’ll all be choosing from. Earlier in the week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter predicted that there would be a minimum of seven teams in the head coaching market in January. He said he wouldn’t be surprised to see that list climb closer to 10 when all is said and done.
The New Orleans Saints and New York Jets have already fired their head coaches in-season. The Jacksonville Jaguars could be the next team to do so before the conclusion of Week 18. The Las Vegas Raiders, Dallas Cowboys, and Chicago Bears are the other three “sure-fire” bets for making head coaching changes. The Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand out as teams that could be in the “possible category”. I’d bet on two of those five teams to make changes right now. If so, that would total the eight teams looking for head coaches.
The Bears will rank at the top of the list for most top candidates. Then again, who are the top candidates? Some quality defensive names include Mike Vrabel, Brian Flores, and Minter. Someone like Dan Lanning may attract a few calls, but the history of college head coaches making the first-time jump to the NFL is bleak. Looking to the offensive minds, Ben Johnson stands out as the top candidate by a mile. The more significant issue there is that he’s going to have a high price tag and is going to be picky. Will the Bears fit his qualifications? I would assume so, but it’s not a sure bet at this point.
This isn’t meant to scare Bears fans but to underscore the vast importance of them making the right decision come January (or February). Maybe there is a surprise firing like Kyle Shanahan, but that feels more like wishful thinking than anything else. Either way, the best candidate needs a real plan for Williams and a plan for how he plans to develop the quarterback. It’s hard to imagine many candidates fitting that bill on the defensive side of the ball, but only time will tell. One thing feels all but certain, though: Eberflus is coaching on borrowed time.
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images
4. The Bears’ pass catchers need to be a lot better, especially with Williams’ confidence growing and his Superman plays shining brighter each week.
This team needs more pass-catching talent to make plays regularly. We’ve seen it all year, but over the past two weeks, that lack of plays has shined much brighter. A lot of that could be due to Williams’ impressive play.
On Sunday, I counted six “should have been” catches. Two were credited to Cole Kmet, three to Keenan Allen, and one to D’Andre Swift. Kmet had a clear drop in the second half that will stick out in everyone’s mind, but his “drop” in the first half when Williams rolled out of his end zone and fired a laser down the sideline was something that will not get talked about enough. It was a perfectly thrown ball, and Kmet had almost given up on it.
For Allen, it’s been a season full of disappointment. Sure, he had his “best” game of the 2024 season when he racked up nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown. Even so, he had a trio of passes where he needed to make a play and couldn’t do it. One was a bad/slow route, while the other was high but catchable. Allen’s inability to consistently make contested catches is problematic, especially when it appears he’s lost a step (or two) since last season.
Swift’s whiff was slightly less noticeable but stood out as an odd play. It was a screen that would have likely picked up a first down, and Swift didn’t even try for the ball. I’m not sure whether it was a miscommunication or he didn’t see the ball, but it cannot continue to happen if this offense wishes to progress.
While I’m nitpicking, I’d also like to point out that Rome Odunze’s habit of running the wrong routes has continued to be an issue. Almost every time two receivers run a similar route, he’s one of the pass catchers in on the blunder. I know he’s a rookie and learning on the fly, but at some point, the mental mistakes need to dissipate.
In order for this offense to continue taking steps in the right direction, the “small” things need to be cleaned up. That starts with the pass catchers doing their jobs and focusing on minor details more carefully. That alone can help Williams continue to progress in the right direction.
5. Despite the frustration of each loss, Bears fans should not lose sight of what’s really important over the final six games of the season.
At this point, it feels like a broken record to continue to say this each season, but the development of their young core should be the only focus over these final six games. Williams comes to mind because he’s the most critical piece to this franchise’s future. Players like Odunze, Kyler Gordon, Gervon Dexter Sr., and Darnell Wright also play significant roles.
Part of sustaining long-term success is having high-quality players on team-friendly deals. Most of those team-friendly contracts come in the form of rookie deals. This is still a young team; some are still learning how to win at the NFL level. From a playoff perspective, the season is over. Even if they were to win, there’s no guarantee they could sneak into the playoffs. Those hopes are over.
The hope for a better future and a quick turnaround are still in reach. As mentioned above, the right head coach would have this team in playoff contention. Unfortunately, that’s not the situation that the Bears are in, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t enough reasons to watch the season’s final six games. This roster is close to being considered a playoff contender. Year 2 of most quarterbacks yield high-level results. There’s no reason to believe it can’t be Chicago in 2025. I know it feels like the future never comes, but there’s plenty to be optimistic about shortly. It just means we need to sit through another six “meaningless” games to see if the Bears can finally get it right.
Strap in, Bears fans. The playoffs might be out of reach, but a bright future is not. The development of their young core is worth staying invested in, even if the frustration of each loss makes it not feel worth it.