Matt Eberflus was just killed in Arizona

After last week’s loss to Washington, the mood was sour. Everyone could feel it. Chicago Bears players were upset with how the game ended, especially from a coaching standpoint. No one was more heated than Matt Eberflus. He gave the green light to the failed handover to Doug Kramer. He called for soft coverage to allow for an easy 13-yard reception and allow the commander to make a much easier Hail Mary throw. To top it off, he didn’t notice that Tyrique Stevenson didn’t pay attention to the final play and didn’t call a timeout.

This brutal loss put Eberflus back in the hot seat. Once again he let a game he should have won slip through his fingers. This trend has followed him for years, but intensified in 2023 when his defense blew double-digit fourth-quarter leads against Denver, Detroit and Cleveland. It became clear that he seemed to be failing in key situations.

In fact, it happened again in a must-win game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Bears trailed 14-9 with 12 seconds left and just had to keep them out of field goal range. Instead, they allowed a 53-yard touchdown run. It was a collapse of colossal proportions.

Matt Eberflus seemed to have no answers in the second half.

The Bears fell flat on offense while the defense didn’t seem to have much firepower. It was clear that the mood had reached rock bottom. Bad tackling. Poor execution. Zero intensity. This should be the part of their schedule they could use to build on their record for a tough second half against the NFC North and two playoff contenders in San Francisco and Seattle. Now it looks like it’s another death march for an organization that still hasn’t found the head coaching leader it’s been looking for since the departure of Lovie Smith over a decade ago.

It is unfortunate that things have reached this point. On the other hand, no one should be surprised. George McCaskey seems unable to hire the right coach since he took over in 2011. It started with Marc Trestman, then John Fox, Matt Nagy and now Matt Eberflus. None of these people were considered top options in their respective candidate pools. They simply gave the right answers in their interviews. For some reason, the team always fails to attract the best candidates.

Although it’s unlikely that the Bears will release Eberflus midseason, this devastating loss is a rule out for his return in 2025.