Matt Eberflus tried to downplay how bad last week’s loss to Washington was. A mix of bad luck and bad execution led to the collapse in the final seconds. However, players have spoken out publicly about that. Both Jaylon Johnson and Kevin Byard questioned the defensive calls in the final sequence. D.J. Moore didn’t understand the logic of the hand-off to Doug Kramer at the goal line. While they didn’t outright say it, their feelings were clear. Coaching went a long way towards that loss.
According to a source, the feelings inside the Chicago Bears locker room haven’t dissipated. Several people, including some members of Eberflus’ own staff, were reportedly “flabbergasted” by the decision to give Washington a free 13 yards on the second-to-last play of the game, putting them in position to throw the Hail Mary. Another said they’ve “never seen a head coach crumble like that.” It was pre-school-level stuff, and Eberflus still failed. Moments like that don’t help his case for showing people he can lead this team to a championship.
I decided to dig into his history as a defensive play caller, which dates back to 2018 with the Indianapolis Colts. In that time, Eberflus has given up a go-ahead score to lose a game no fewer than 24 times. That is not a misprint. There were 24 instances where his team had a chance to close out a game, and his defense gave up the lead. It has happened nine times with the Bears. You never like to label somebody a choke artist, but the evidence continues to pile up against the head coach. Last Sunday may have been his magnum opus.
Most of the players in that locker room have experienced this for two and a half years. They have tried to give Matt Eberflus the benefit of the doubt, knowing he was working to grow as a coach. Yet the patterns remain. When the game gets tight, so does he. The Bears won’t fire him midseason. That is not how the organization has ever operated. However, the current rumblings suggest he is on shaky ground. Failure to capitalize on such a strong start to the season will amplify what happened in Washington ten-fold.
No coach survives that.
