Detroit Football Network
New franchise QB, revamped coaching staff, Bears struggling to turn corner heading into Thanksgiving vs. Lions
Justin Rogers
Nov 26, 2024
Allen Park — Are we in the death throes of Matt Eberflus’ tenure in Chicago? It certainly feels that way.
The Bears are reeling. After winning four of their first six games, they’ve dropped five straight. The last two have been heartbreaking defeats at the hands of NFC North rivals — one on a blocked field goal, the other in overtime. Now the Lions have the chance to drive another nail into the coffin on Thanksgiving.
This was supposed to be the season the Bears turned the corner. After starting 0-4 a year ago, they finished above .500 the rest of the way. More than the strong finish, they had the No. 1 pick in the draft, a remnant from trading away the top choice to the Carolina Panthers the previous year. And for all the posturing in the months leading up to the event, everyone understood it represented Chicago’s next-best chance to land a long-coveted franchise quarterback.
And maybe they have in Caleb Williams, even if he hasn’t lit the world on fire out of the gate. That's despite being gifted an outstanding trio of receivers for his debut season. Joining DJ Moore, the holdover, the Bears traded for six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen this offseason, and used their own first-round draft pick, No. 12 overall, on Washington's Rome Odunze, rounding out a potent corps.
The Bears also made efforts to upgrade Williams’ backfield, inking former Lion D’Andre Swift, a talented dual-threat who has exhibited far better durability since leaving Detroit than he ever did for the team that drafted him. Through 11 games, he's racked up 943 yards from scrimmage, putting him on pace for the best year of his career.
To tie the room together, Eberflus reshaped his offensive coaching staff, headlined by a new coordinator and new QB coach. But the addition of Shane Waldron, who coordinated for Seattle the three previous years, was an unmitigated flop. He’s already been relieved of his duties and replaced by Thomas Brown, who started the year as Chicago’s passing game coordinator.
The early results on the midseason switch, particularly in regards to Williams’ performance, have been promising. In the first game with Brown calling the shots, the rookie QB completed 23-of-31 for 231 yards without a touchdown or interception, while adding 70 more yards on the ground.
This past week, against the Vikings, Williams stuffed the stat with 340 passing yards, two scores and zero picks. The young signal-caller hasn’t thrown an interception in five straight games.
The offensive line is still a point of concern for the Bears. The team is starting two budget free-agent additions with Coleman Shelton at center and Matt Pryor lining up at multiple spots, most recently at right guard. Among the consequences, Williams has been sacked more than any QB in the NFL this season.
Overall, Chicago’s offense hasn’t done much consistently well this season. They rank in the bottom half of the league in yards, points, yards per carry and passer rating. Where they have succeeded is protecting the football and punching it across the goal line once in the red zone. They’re top five in both categories.
Defensively, the Bears have been pretty damn good. They’ve held nine of 11 opponents under 21 points and rank eighth in scoring. They’ve also done well at generating takeaways, forcing the opposition to cough it up 18 times.
Largely, it’s a familiar group, with one significant change. At safety, the team parted ways with longtime standout Eddie Jackson and replaced him with Kevin Byard, one of the better playmakers at the position since entering the league in 2016, earning a pair of first-team All-Pro selections along the way. The interceptions haven’t been there for Byard this year, but he’s still been excellent in the back end for the Bears.
The other safety spot is temporarily being manned by another free-agent addition, Jonathan Owens, while regular starter Jaquan Brisker is on injured reserve with a concussion.
Like the offense, the Bears defense also has a new coordinator after Alan Williams resigned during the early stages of the 2023 season. The newcomer, Eric Washington, had been leading Buffalo’s defensive line the past few seasons. He also has previous coordinator experience, filling the role for Carolina for two years, from 2018-19.
