LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WGN) — Wednesday’s media availability for Matt Eberflus and Caleb Williams featured continued discussions around the Chicago Bears’ shortcomings last week at the Washington Commanders, but also shed more light on potential concerns for the team’s depth along the offensive line.
“It’s all about accountability and execution, and that starts with me,” Eberflus said during Wednesday’s press conference. “The game didn’t finish the way we wanted to and again, that starts with me. We held each other accountable that way [and] we’ll have answers for those things.”
Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron have been criticized by local media over the last 48 hours for key errors made throughout their Week 8 matchup in Washington, D.C., most specifically Waldron’s botched trick play handoff to offensive lineman Doug Kramer and how Eberflus managed the defense over the last two plays of the game.
“I’m not going to talk about Tyrique [Stevenson] in terms of starting, not starting, all those things,” said Eberflus when asked if Stevenson would face any repercussions for his actions on the final play of the game. “But I will say this, Tyrique has made a lot of plays for for this group and for our defense and for our football team over the last couple years, and he’s going to continue to do that.
“We’re behind Tyrique and we’re with him all the way, and again, we’ll work through this as we go.”
By now, the clips of Stevenson taunting the Commanders’ crowd ahead of a game-winning Hail Mary for Washington have made their rounds and then some, with many (including some Bears players) questioning why a timeout wasn’t spent to reset and get everyone on the same page.
Just a play before, Chicago seemingly chose to play Hail Mary prevent defense instead of protecting the sideline, which led to a 13-yard completion from Jayden Daniels to Terry McLaurin to get them near midfield and make the Hail Mary toss a couple of degrees easier.
“In that particular situation, you always know that they’re going to do, with six seconds to go at the 35, they’re either going to go for the end zone there, or go for more yards,” Eberflus said. “So, if you want to play sideline defense, what they’re going to do is convert to the Hail Mary right there and just run everybody off the sideline.
“Then you have to pick them up from the side line and do the same job you were going to do on the Hail Mary. To me, we wanted to bring them up so we wouldn’t give them something that’s too far down the field, which [ended up being] to the 48, and we set up for a Hail Mary at the end.”
The Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer pressed Eberflus further, wondering what the logic was behind giving the Commanders 13 yards.
Wiederer: You thought Jayden could’ve thrown it 70 yards, as opposed to 50?
“No, it’s going to land somewhere, but you’re going to end up playing the same type of defense. It’s going to land somewhere in that area of how far you can throw it so, 60-65 yards somewhere in there.”
Williams told the assembled media Wednesday he and the rest of the team experienced the usual range of emotions when you’re caught on the losing end of a Hail Mary like they were Sunday, but the weekly captains’ meeting lacked controversy and was on par for other captains’ meetings they’ve had, after both wins and losses.
“We shared our thoughts and it was a normal captains meeting. We’ve lost before and had to deal with that, and we’ve won before and had to deal with that after,” Williams said. “I think it was a normal meeting … We voiced our opinions and he voiced his thoughts and things like that. Coach ‘Flus, he voiced his thoughts and we just had a grown man talk.
“We all sat in there and went back and forth, no raising voices or anything, nothing like that. Just real talk and we want to win. That simple.”
Injury updates
Five offensive linemen were listed on the Bears’ Wednesday injury report.
Kiran Amegadjie (calf) and Braxton Jones (knee) did not participate in practice, while Teven Jenkins (knee) and Ryan Bates (shoulder) were limited participants, and Larry Borom (ankle) was a full participant.
“Kiran had the calf [injury]. It doesn’t look like he he’s going to be able to get back with that,” Eberflus said. “And then Braxton Jones [with the] knee, we’ll see where that goes. It’s something that he’s working through.”
Wednesday also marked the opening of the 21-day practice window for Bates, who was activated from the injured reserve list after he suffered a shoulder and elbow injuries in Chicago’s Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans.
“In terms of the O-line depth, we’ll stay with the guys that we have,” Eberflus said. “They’ve done a good job. We did a nice job of running the ball, if they’re all available to us so, we’ll see where that goes.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Montez Sweat (shin), Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and Kyler Gordon (hamstring) also did not participate in practice Wednesday.
Up Next
The Chicago Bears take on the Arizona Cardinals Sunday in Phoenix, with kickoff set for 3:05 p.m. CT.