Chicago Bears fans have seen enough of Matt Eberflus. The second-year head coach hasn’t shown them anything suggesting he can get this organization into Super Bowl contention. He’s won six total games, the worst winning percentage of any Bears coach ever. His trademark defense hasn’t looked like anything special when they’re playing against credible quarterbacks. In-game management is lacking. The only positive you can say about him is that he’s managed to keep coaxing good effort from players despite the losing.
That isn’t nearly enough to justify him keeping his job in the eyes of many. The Bears have fired their head coach only once after two seasons. That was Marc Trestman. GM Ryan Poles voiced his emphatic support of Eberflus when asked over a week ago. He believes the head coach has the team pointed in the right direction. Is he serious, or is that just a necessary public vote of support to avoid any controversies? Several believe it’s the latter, but Adam Hoge of CHGO isn’t so sure.
“So let’s just start with this week’s game in Detroit. Realistically, it’s the toughest game the Bears have had since they went to Kansas City in Week 3 and lost 41-10.
I don’t feel like Eberflus’ seat is as hot as some others believe, but another blowout on the road could change things quickly. Offensively, the Bears are as healthy as they’ve been all season, and with Fields back at quarterback, they should be able to score points against the Lions.
An upset of the Lions would go a long way for all parties involved, especially when you consider the Bears are on an 11-game losing streak in their own division. But a good, competitive game would carry some weight too, even if it’s a loss.”
The Bears started the season 0-4. Since then, they’ve gone 3-3. If not for a bad collapse against Denver and an ugly 4th quarter in New Orleans, they could’ve gone 4-2 or 5-1. So if wins and losses are the ultimate judge, then Poles isn’t wrong. Eberflus does seem to be trending in the right direction. However, the biggest test of the season is at hand. The next five weeks are easily the toughest stretch of schedule the Bears will face. It includes three out of four games on the road. All three opponents hold winning records and boast quality defenses.
If Matt Eberflus can make it through with even a 2-2 record, that will go a long way in helping his case to stay another year. If he gets swept, as many predict will happen, it is hard to imagine he can do much to save himself in the final three weeks. Then again, predicting what this franchise will do when it comes to the head coaching position has become impossible over the years. They also seem to do the unexpected. Either way, Eberflus controls his own destiny. He knows what must be done to save his job.
