Commentary: Bears have some serious soul-searching to do |
Anytime you start a season 0-3 and virtually look lifeless in the process, there is a ton of blame to go around. Granted, some are to blame more than others, but either way, this team is in shambles right now, and there are no signs of it ending anytime soon.
Coming into the season, the Chicago Bears were considered the darlings of the offseason and were one of those teams expected to take significant strides forward. Not only have they failed to reach those expectations thus far, but they have gone backward in the process, which is hard to fathom when you recall last season and how it ended. Any way you look at it, the past year plus have been bad, but just how bad has it been? The more you look into the numbers, the worse it looks, which isn't sitting well with Bears fans right now. Matt Eberflus was brought in to be this defensive-minded head coach, and not only is the defense terrible, but Eberflus is 3-17 as a head coach while also sporting a 13-game losing streak. The Bears are not an organization that typically fires people mid-season, but they may have to part ways with him sooner rather than later, as he doesn't have a grasp on his own team. Not only has the defense struggled under the guidance of Eberflus and Alan Williams, but the offense has been equally as bad, if not worse, as they rank dead last in most offensive stats going back to last season. That alone is a recipe for disaster, and the Bears are a clinical disaster right now. While everyone wants to blame the coaching staff and their inability to develop Justin Fields, he, too, needs to start taking some of the blame. Not only was Fields held to under 100 yards passing on Sunday, but that marks four times in his brief NFL career that has happened. To put that into perspective, Mitch Trubisky never had a game like that, and Rex Grossman only had one. As athletic as Fields is, he is one of the most indecisive players in the sport, as he struggles to read defenses and doesn't seem to know when to make a play if things are breaking down. Another reason for the Bears' struggles, especially on the defensive side of the ball, is the pass rush, or the lack of a pass rush. Not only did the Bears fail to get to Patrick Mahomes on Sunday, but they have less than two sacks this season and only 11.5 in their past 20 games. I don't care who you are; if you don't get pressure on a QB, your defense is in trouble, and the Bears' defense has been hung out to dry all season. Sticking with defense and how a lack of a pass rush can affect it, the Bears have invested three early-round draft picks in the secondary the past two seasons in an effort to get younger and better at that position. Not only are two of them out injured, which you have no control over, but they have yet to produce a turnover since October. That doesn't bode well when you can't get after the QB, as you are doing nothing right on the defensive of the ball. While a lot of this is bad, things could get worse for this team when you look at their upcoming schedule. Granted, they do have Denver and Washington the next two weeks, which are winnable games, but after that, the Bears have the Vikings, Raiders, Chargers, Saints, Panthers, Lions, Vikings, Lions, Browns, Cardinals, Falcons, and Packers. If they don't beat the Broncos or Commanders in the next two weeks, finding a way before December will not be easy. That will put them in a position to have 20 consecutive losses, which puts them in rare company. I'm sure there are many other reasons to name to show how bad this team has been, but these are the biggest ones that come to mind right now. Chicago has some serious soul-searching to do in both the long and short-term future, and if the problems are not addressed quickly, then this will once again be a season that lands this team not one but two top-five picks for next season.
