So much for the new-coach spark the Chicago Bears were hoping for Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.
Ten days after firing coach Matt Eberflus, the Bears lost by a season-high 25 points at Levi’s Stadium. The offense got off to the slowest of starts. The defense was powerless to stop a 49ers team struggling with injuries. And afterward, players were at a loss to describe what went wrong after they insisted they had a great week of practice under interim coach Thomas Brown.
The Bears get an extra day off this week to prepare for their “Monday Night Football” rematch against the Minnesota Vikings, who won the first meeting last month in overtime. As the Bears try to stop their free fall, Tribune reporters Colleen Kane and Dan Wiederer talk through four key issues facing the team in true-or-false format.
True or false? The Bears may have a difficult time landing a premier coach to replace Matt Eberflus.
Wiederer: False. But it depends on how smoothly the upcoming search process unfolds.
Last week, Bears President/CEO Kevin Warren emphasized that general manager Ryan Poles would be the point person for the search. But Warren also gave off the impression he will be heavily involved in steering everything.
So now the Bears have to navigate this process with honesty, skill and grand ambition. And they should lean into the networks that Warren, Poles and assistant GM Ian Cunningham have to be very targeted with their search once it intensifies.
Make no mistake: This remains a very attractive job. As with every previous hiring cycle the Bears have been involved in — this will be their fifth head coaching search since the 2012 season ended — there are built-in magnets to Halas Hall.
The passion of the Bears fan base is considered a plus throughout the league. The stage of Chicago and the tradition of the franchise are positives. So are the potential spoils of becoming the coach to unlock a door to sustained success for an organization that hasn’t enjoyed it since the late 1980s.
Now add the strength of the roster core, the allure of quarterback Caleb Williams, the health of the salary-cap situation and the draft capital to bolster the roster in 2025, and the line to get an interview at 1920 Football Drive should be long.
From there it will be up to the chief decision makers to understand which traits they are prioritizing for their next coach. And they should be immersed in the interviewing process to find the best person for the job. Strong candidates will be available. The trick will be picking the right one.
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Kane: I agree the Bears will have big-name, interested suitors for this job for all of the reasons you mentioned. Williams, despite some bumps in his rookie season, remains a huge draw. I’m also with you that the idea of becoming the coach who finally brings back long-term success in Chicago — and knowing what that would mean to the city — should appeal to a candidate with grand ambitions.
I also would understand if a coach had reservations, though, starting with questions about why so many before him have failed in this organization. I think candidates will want to have an understanding of the power structure at Halas Hall after Warren made it clear he will play a major role in the direction of the franchise this offseason. And the Bears might find coaches who question the state of the current roster, given the struggles this season.
With that in mind, the Bears should make sure they find someone who believes in Williams and in being able to field a winning team during the quarterback’s rookie-contract window, who is comfortable with working under Warren and Poles and who can be a leader in a market that is not always forgiving.
Will the Bears make the right choice from candidates who fit that profile? That remains to be seen.
True or false? Caleb Williams’ development has been harmed by Bears leaders’ decisions this season.
Kane: True. No matter how Williams finishes the season, I don’t believe you can say that changing the offensive coordinator and head coach within a few weeks of each other in the middle of his rookie year is beneficial.
Multiple coaches have lauded Williams for being strong-minded, and he may very well come through the changes fine as his partnership with interim coach Thomas Brown develops over the final month. But the fact Williams had to work through that adversity in the first place is due to the decisions Poles made in the offseason to retain Eberflus — and to allow Eberflus to hire offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
The Waldron hire is glaring, particularly because some of the things the Bears touted as strengths — teaching and communication — turned out to be his downfall. During the news conference after the Eberflus firing, Poles pointed to communication when asked where things went wrong with Waldron. Play-calling experience and his work with different quarterbacks didn’t help Waldron survive with the Bears either.
The miscalculation means Williams very well could be on his third offensive play caller and third head coach by the time his second training camp starts. That’s a lot to handle for a quarterback trying to find his way in the NFL.
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Wiederer: Williams was asked after Sunday’s loss to the 49ers how his interactions with Brown changed with the latter now in the interim head coach role after previously serving as offensive coordinator and passing game coordinator this season.
Williams acknowledged that with every step Brown has been bumped up the ladder, more responsibilities have been dropped in his lap. So, yes, here we are in December with the franchise’s most prized asset again having to adapt to significant change.
It’s remarkable, honestly, how poorly the Bears have fared at creating stability and direction for Williams. And as I’ve emphasized so often recently, they are a long, long way from the finish line of the season. Four games is an eternity in the NFL. The true grind is just beginning for Williams, who must find a path to maximize his growth over the final four games.
But, man, it has to be hard for a 23-year-old, who’s less than eight months into his first professional job, to handle the psychological toll of all the Bears have gone through — and, by extension, put him through — this season.
True or false? The Bears won’t win another game this season.
Wiederer: True. I made the error last weekend of believing the Bears could upset the 49ers without having enough tangible evidence this team was capable of winning again. Big mistake.
So how, amid a seven-game losing streak and coming off Sunday’s humiliating 25-point loss, could anyone have confidence these Bears have it in them to win any of their four remaining games, all against teams that presently reside inside the NFC playoff picture?
On the look-ahead lines, the Bears are underdogs in three of those games, favored only in Week 17 at home against the Seattle Seahawks. But the Seahawks seem to be finding their stride and should have plenty to play for when they visit Soldier Field the day after Christmas following a short week of preparation.
Sure, the Bears may squeeze out one more victory before the season ends. But given the experience of the past seven weeks, there’s a very real possibility they don’t win another game and finish 4-13. Whoa. Crazy, right?
Kane: Insane. At the end of the 2022 season, I never would have believed you if you had told me the Bears could be looking at possibly topping their franchise-record 10-game losing streak just two seasons later. But it’s a real possibility given the quality of opponents ahead.
The Seahawks on the day after Christmas at Soldier Field might seem like a natural spot for the Bears to get one more win. But Seattle is on a four-game winning streak with three of those wins coming against the Arizona Cardinals and 49ers — teams that blew out the Bears.
What’s most discouraging is the way the Bears lost Sunday — by 25 points to an injury-riddled 49ers team, showing none of the energy the players claimed to have in practice last week after the coaching change.
Maybe the Bears will pull off a win at Lambeau Field in Week 18 if the Green Bay Packers’ playoff situation is already set. But the Bears have been horrendous in their six road losses this season, so I’m not confident they could get a win even in that scenario.
This next stretch of games could make for a not-so-happy holiday for many around Halas Hall.
True or false? Ryan Poles hasn’t really solidified a single position on the offensive line.
Kane: False. It’s a valid topic because Williams’ sack total jumped to a league-leading 56 for 377 lost yards after the 49ers’ seven-sack performance Sunday. The seven sacks allowed are tied for the second-most this season, behind only the New England Patriots’ nine-sack performance on Nov. 11.
And while some of the blame falls on Williams when he doesn’t get the ball out on time, we also need to scrutinize the offensive line that Poles, the former offensive lineman, has built.
I think right tackle Darnell Wright, the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft, can continue to grow as a difference maker for the Bears. Wright has fought through minor injuries to start 29 of 30 games in his first two seasons. So that’s why I say false.
But Poles has had a number of big misses as he tried to piece together the group, the most notable being the three-year, $30 million contract he awarded to Nate Davis in 2023. The veteran right guard started just 13 games for the Bears before they cut him amid production, availability and attitude issues.
Poles’ signing of guard/center Lucas Patrick in his first season didn’t pan out, and guard/center Ryan Bates has played in just three games this season while dealing with injuries.
The misses have created less-than-ideal depth on the line, and it has shown.
Wiederer: Yep. It sure feels like the offensive line needs to be upgraded in a major way if the Bears expect to compete in what is arguably the toughest division in the league. They need difference makers up front, maulers in the run game and pass protectors who can keep Williams clean and in a mind frame to work his magic.
As it stands, the Bears have a bottom-10 rushing offense and Williams has been sacked 15 times more than the next-most-battered quarterback (the Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud with 41 sacks).
Left tackle Braxton Jones has been a nice story, becoming a functional starter for three seasons after being drafted in the fifth round out of Southern Utah in 2022. But the Bears should be aiming much higher than functional.
Guard Teven Jenkins can be impressive when he’s rolling. But he has been hurt far too frequently over his four seasons in Chicago for the Bears not to seek an upgrade this offseason when Jenkins’ rookie contract expires.
Matt Pryor is a decent depth piece who has played fairly well in a starting role. And Coleman Shelton has been much better at center since a bumpy September.
But again, if the Bears are serious about becoming a winning program, settling for “good enough” should be viewed as a major problem. Upgrading and reinforcing the offensive line has to be a top priority in the offseason.
