That gut-wrenching loss to the Washington Commanders on Sunday is starting to feel like a turning point for the Chicago Bears and Head Coach Matt Eberflus.
The Bears were one batted Hail Mary ball away from entering Week 9 with a 5-2 record and in the thick of a playoff race. Instead, the tipped pass landed in the hands of Washington wide receiver Noah Brown. And now, the Bears are 4-3 and in scramble-mode ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the Arizona Cardinals (Hey! We’re hosting a free watch party in the city for this game). This is an unenviable position to be in right now.
Rebounding from that type of loss and going on the road again comes with its own unique set of challenges. But at the top of the priority list has to be getting the locker room in order. The vibes are the complete opposite of immaculate right now:
A pair of reporters posting about how Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus came off as tone-deaf in his postgame remarks isn’t something we should be ignoring. But that is just the tip of the iceberg that nudged me to wonder: Does Coach Flus have a locker room problem?
- Cornerback Jaylon Johnson did his weekly radio hit with 670 The Score and said the team needs to clean it up and “have a better operation.”
- Tight end Cole Kmet provided the perspective (h/t Pro Football Talk) that the loss provides a teachable moment that serves as a reminder to respect the game — which felt telling since he also mentioned players were “laying off” in practice going into the week.
- Wide receiver DJ Moore publicly called into question Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron’s goal-line offensive lineman hand-off play-call and said the team’s leaders have to have a meeting of the minds to address the Tyrique Stevenson situation as captains.
Having multiple players questioning what’s going on at the top raises red flags. And when those players are team captains, those flags are so bright that even I — a habitual ignorer of red flags — cannot turn a blind eye to in this moment. I wonder what Matt Eberflus thinks about this.
This feels like an important moment for Matt Eberflus
The last few days have featured players airing their grievances in public, prominent local and national media members calling out this Matt Eberflus’ ridiculousness, and fans growing tired of a film they’ve seen before. All of this stuff carries weight. Meanwhile, the head coach publicly says he sees no problem with handing the ball off to an offensive lineman with zero career carries and saying that everyone was in the right position on the game-losing Hail Mary while video footage exists of the cornerback responsible for the guy who caught the game-ending touchdown yacking with fans on the sideline.
I don’t want to be overdramatic. But it feels like Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus is one wrong step from losing the locker room. And if that loss to the Commanders trickles into this week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, I fear that a lost locker room would be a logical next step. To his credit, Eberflus was at the helm when the Bears had a clear culture problem and didn’t allow it to totally sink the season. But that we’re back here nearly a year to the day later is concerning.
Last year, the Bears made a cold and calculated decision to part ways with quarterback Justin Fields. In doing so, the team sent a clear message: Being “good” isn’t good enough. Here we are nearly eight months later and I wonder if they’re ready to make the same decision regarding Matt Eberflus’ future. But before we get to that point, Coach Flus will get a chance to prove himself down the stretch. I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes about righting the ship.