Reaching 4-2 was a good start for the Chicago Bears. However, everybody knew the season’s biggest test was at hand in Washington against the 5-2 Commanders. Head coach Matt Eberflus needed to seize this moment. He had two weeks to prepare. His defense was playing well, and the offense had found some momentum. Knocking off a red-hot team in their own building would send a loud message the Bears were for real. Instead, the game continued a troubling trend that has followed Eberflus since he took over two years ago.
Since the start of 2022, the Bears are 1-13 against teams with a winning record. Now, before you say anything, yes. It is acknowledged that the Bears were awful that first year. However, it hasn’t gotten much better since. They were a combined 1-5 between last season and this season.
This paints a clear picture of Eberflus right now. He is perfectly adequate at beating up on subpar opponents. Unfortunately, when he runs into better teams, the Bears always seem to come up short. Washington was another example. Too often, it felt like their coaches were a step or two ahead of what Eberflus tried to do. Nothing illustrated this better than the baffling goal-to-go play call by Shane Waldron to hand off to Doug Kramer, resulting in a backbreaking turnover.
He has done great work returning the defense to its customary spot among the NFL’s best. His plan for Caleb Williams has been solid as well. He isn’t a bad coach. The problem is he hasn’t established himself as a good one either. Eberflus is falling into the category of average. Anybody who knows the NFL will tell you average coaches don’t win championships. The schedule won’t remain easy for much longer. They have Arizona and New England up next. Then comes the gauntlet, starting with Green Bay and Minnesota.
Ryan Poles and Kevin Warren have offered no indication that they are considering a coaching change. Why would they? However, the winds shift fast in this league. Next year will be the last of Matt Eberflus’ contract. That will force the Bears to make a decision. Either they extend him to maintain continuity, let him coach out the deal as a lame duck, or they fire him and try to find an upgrade. This loss to Washington won’t decide anything, but it does serve as a reminder that the leash is slowly getting shorter.
