Stock up, Stock down after Bears blowout loss to Cardinals |
There is not much to be happy about after Chicago’s 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals this past Sunday. The run defense was atrocious, the offense was unproductive, and the play-calling was at an all-time low. To make matters worse, the Bears’ play-calling was bad on both sides of the ball.
Matt Eberflus - Stock Down This game was the worst game for the defense so far this season. Granted, cornerback Kyler Gordon, safety Jaquan Brisker, and edge rusher Montez Sweat were all out for the Bears in this game. However, that is no excuse. Chicago’s defense was supposed to have depth pieces, but they did not show that depth in Arizona. His play call on the 53-yard rushing touchdown was incredibly poor and completely changed the momentum of the entire game. In addition, his decision to keep rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in on the final drive of the game was incredibly poor. What is even worse than all those things is how he handled the Tyrique Stevenson situation. Stevenson deserved to face some punishment for his actions on the Hail Mary against the Washington Commanders. Stevenson was told he would not be starting on Wednesday and left practice. Even after that disrespectful action, he played 79 percent of the defensive snaps against the Cardinals. That is how you lose the locker room. He clearly showed his talk about discipline was purely talk. This should be his last season as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. Shane Waldron - Stock Down Chicago’s offensive line was decimated with injuries going into the game, and they lost even more offensive linemen during the game. Certainly, that did not help with developing the run game. When you have a banged-up offensive line, the play-calling has to attempt to help take some of the pressure off the offensive line. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron did not do that against Arizona. His play-calling made things worse. Chicago only had 69 total rushing yards. Tight end Cole Kmet was not targeted in this game; he only has one catch over the last two games. Receivers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore were both targeted at least nine times but finished with four receptions for under 40 yards. There is no excuse for that, and as the offensive play-caller, that falls back on Waldron. Caleb Williams - Stock Down In all fairness to Williams, one player cannot carry a team by himself. He is only a rookie and is trying to operate the offense. Williams does not have the proper coaches around him to support his development, but a lack of offensive productivity does fall on him as the leader of the offense. The loss to Arizona marked the third game of his young career with a completion percentage under 55 percent in a game. He has not thrown a touchdown since the London game when Chicago defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars. Luckily, he has also not thrown an interception. Nonetheless, his stock is down because the offense as a whole is down. Rome Odunze - Stock Up Chicago has one bright side after their blowout loss against the Cardinals. Rookie receiver Rome Odunze showed why he belongs in the NFL. He was the one bright spot on the offense as he finished the game with five receptions for 104 yards, nearly half of the receiving yards in the game. This game was his second 100-yard game of the season and made him the leading receiver for the Bears through the first eight weeks. Odunze’s production has gone up and down throughout the season, but when the ball comes his way, Odunze generally puts up good numbers.
