Matt Eberflus has had a tumultuous run as the Chicago Bears head coach. Never mind that he has a 14-27 record, which is teetering on the worst winning percentage the franchise has seen in the past 50 years. What stands out about his tenure is how out of control it sometimes seems. Two of his assistants were dismissed from the team for detrimental conduct. The Bears have lost five games in less than three years, where they held the lead with under three minutes to play. Eberflus is also 1-13 against winning teams and 3-17 on the road.
On top of all that, he hasn’t demonstrated a clear plan for elevating his young quarterback. Last weekend’s crushing loss in Washington felt like an inflection point for Eberflus. Late-game collapses have happened under his watch before, but this was the first that could be traced directly to his own bad decisions. Nobody disputes his ability as a defensive play caller, but his in-game management and situational awareness continue to underwhelm. Is his job in jeopardy? Insider Matt Lombardo shared new details on that.
I posed your question to a league source, and he needed just two words to respond when asked if Eberflus is on the hot seat: “Of course.”
My read is that a 14-27 record isn’t going to buy much goodwill in that front office, barring Williams rapidly developing into one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the league by season’s end.
Williams’ trajectory has been as one would expect for a rookie quarterback; initial timing issues with his receivers, a torrid stretch where he seems to be ascending in confidence as well as comfort in the scheme, and then perhaps a slight regression to the mean.
Will that be enough to save Eberflus if the Bears wind up missing the playoffs, or worse, and finish below .500? I’d tend to doubt it.
The league insider I spoke to was surprised the Bears wound up bringing Eberflus back for this season after Chicago finished the 2023 campaign at 7-10.
He cannot afford a single misstep over the next two weeks. It starts with the 4-4 Arizona Cardinals, who have a bad defense that Chicago should exploit. Next comes the New England Patriots, who are in the running for the #1 overall pick. If the Bears don’t take care of business against those teams and end up either 5-4 or 4-5 by mid-November, their playoff hopes are doomed. The rest of their schedule features six divisional games, San Francisco, and Seattle—absolutely zero gimmes.
There is no way Matt Eberflus would be able to navigate that stretch without another losing record. In such a case, he won’t be keeping his job going into 2025. Don’t forget next season is the last of his current contract. Chicago would not consider bringing him back without an extension. Players are getting restless. Guys have begun questioning if the coaching staff can make smart decisions when it matters. Eberflus hasn’t made the right impression, and his grace period is long over.
