I’ve doubted the Bears each of the last two weeks. I thought they were in line for a potential bulldozing against two NFC North foes that were significantly better than they were on paper. Those games ended in a potential game-winning field being blocked against the Packers and an overtime loss to the Vikings.
Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown recently said there are no moral victories in this game. He is right. At the end of the day, both of those near victories were nothing more than losses in the standings. This week, the Bears face their toughest opponent of the season, the 10-1 Detroit Lions. They are 10-point underdogs, yet I still find myself with a glimmer of hope they can do the unthinkable: Beat the best team in football in their building on a national stage.
Why do I feel that way?
Caleb Williams.
I loved what Brown said about how Williams has played without fear these past two games. Additionally, Brown made sure to point out that Williams was aggressive but not reckless. Williams is playing with confidence and swagger but still making the right decisions and taking care of the football.
“It was very obvious he had no fear, at all, which is the way we want to have him play,” Brown said Tuesday, via The Athletic. “I think about being aggressive and taking calculated risks, so aggressive is not being reckless. It’s two different things. So, not putting the ball in jeopardy. Did a really good job taking care of the football.”
That fearlessness has been the difference for Chicago the last two weeks. It’s what’s allowed the Bears to hang with better opponents on paper. It allowed the Bears to be in a position to win each of the previous two games, games in which they had no business winning. The Bears have no business winning this game, but Caleb Williams makes it hard not to believe otherwise.
Aside from another challenge for the rookie quarterback, this week presents another interesting dynamic. It’s an informal job interview for two, possibly three, potential head coach candidates for the Bears in 2025.
Ben Johnson has been the hot name in the could-be head coaching conversation for two years. He turned down the Commanders job last offseason, but he’ll be atop everyone’s interview list again this January. If the Bears part ways with Matt Eberflus, Johnson will be one of the first names linked to the Bears. Their front office will get another up close and personal look at what Johnson’s capable of on Thursday.
Chicago’s front office will also get another look at Aaron Glenn, Detroit’s defensive coordinator, another name surely to be thrown around a ton during the upcoming hiring cycle. Glenn has done a tremendous job of helping the Lions adapt to life without Aidan Hutchinson after his season-ending injury.
Chicago should also take a hard look in-house at Thomas Brown, who has rejuvenated their offense and their rookie quarterback since taking over for Shane Waldron as the offensive coordinator. Brown helping Williams and the offense hang with the Lions this week would be an excellent mark on his potential resume.
Speaking of the head coach, the Bears currently have one, but he might not be around beyond the carving of the turkey if the Bears get boat-raced on a national stage in Detroit. Yes, I’m aware it would be the first time the Bears have fired a head coach in the season if they pulled the trigger, but there is no reason not to do it at this point unless they’re seriously considering keeping Eberflus in 2025. If that is the case, this front office and ownership group are more incompetent than we give them credit for.
Firing Eberflus now would set the precedent that what we see from this team isn’t good enough and won’t be tolerated. It would also give the Bears a look at what Thomas Brown could do as the head coach if they went that route and named him the interim head coach.
It’s a no-brainer, honestly. But no brains is the reputation of ownership, so don’t get your hopes up.
Game Info
Chicago Bears (4-7) vs Detroit Lions (10-1)
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)
Streaming: NFL+ *
Radio: ESPN 1000 AM (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie)
Kickoff Time: 11:30 AM CT
Site: Ford Field; Detroit, MI.
Referee: Alan Eck
Odds: Lions -10, O/U 48.5 (via DraftKings)
Bears Projected Starters
Offense
- QB – Caleb Williams
- RB – D’Andre Swift
- WR – DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze
- TE – Cole Kmet
- OL – Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Coleman Shelton, Matt Pryor, Darnell Wright
Defense
- DL – Montez Sweat, Zacch Pickens, Gervon Dexter St., DeMarcus Walker
- LB – T.J. Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds
- CB – Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, Kyler Gordon
- S – Kevin Byard III, Jonathan Owens
Specialists
- Cairo Santos (kicker), Tory Taylor (punter, holder), Scott Daly (long snapper), DeAndre Carter (kick and punt returner)
Detroit Lions Projected Starters
Offense
- QB – Jared Goff
- RB – David Montgomery
- WR – Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick
- TE – Sam LaPorta
- OL – Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler, Penei Sewell
Defense
- DL – Za’Darius Smith, Alim McNeill, DJ Reader, Josh Paschal
- LB – Trevor Nowaske, Jack Campbell, Malcolm Rodriguez
- CB – Carlton Davis III, Terrion Arnold, Emmanuel Moseley
- S – Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch
Specialists
- Jake Bates (kicker), Jack Fox (punter, holder), Hogan Hatten (long snapper), Khalil Dorsey, Kalif Raymond (kick and punt returner)
Three Bears
Every week, our Chicago Bears writers will give you their Bears player to watch in the matchup ahead. Three Bears is a staple of these previews, and with Bears coverage expanding this season, I thought it would be cool to involve all of the Bears thinkers in the exercise.
Matt Rooney: Teven Jenkins —Truly, I could make this Caleb Williams every week for the rest of the season, but I’ll go for a little variety. Jenkins has been outstanding this year when he’s been healthy. He’s due a new contract at the end of the season. The Bears have many offensive line questions this offseason, and hopefully, Jenkins can be one of the answers. He was great last week, and his playing at a high level and staying healthy the rest of the campaign would go a long way toward his coming back.
Luis Medina: Terell Smith — Tyrique Stevenson has been in a slump since the Hail Mary situation in Washington and could probably use a hard reset. Perhaps it is time to give him a breather and let Smith (who out-snapped Stevenson 47-25 last week) get some time in the starting lineup. The Bears would be wise to see if they have something in Smith before they add a cornerback to their offseason shopping list.
Patrick Flowers: Caleb Williams — Williams has turned in consecutive big boy performances against divisional foes and will face another on Thursday, this time on the national stage on Thanksgiving. If Williams can find the same level of success against the Lions, there will be little doubt that he’s the guy moving forward and even less doubt that Matt Eberflus is heading for the unemployment line after saddling his rookie quarterback with Shane Waldron for the first half of the season. Chicago’s defense will give up points against this Lions unit, so it’ll be up to Williams to keep them in the game.