Matt Eberflus is in his third season. Hall of Fame head coach Dick Vermeil said if you didn’t win in your first two years as head coach, you better win your third, or you’re not going to be there. That is the situation Eberflus finds himself in. After another dispiriting loss in Indianapolis, he is 11-26 as head coach of the Chicago Bears. His .297 winning percentage is currently the third-worst in franchise history, trailing only John Fox (.291) and Abe Gibron (.268). Both of those men were fired after their third seasons.
While Eberflus has done a good job elevating the Bears’ defense back to the level of NFL elites, he continues to flounder where most of his predecessors did. He can’t get the offense going. Despite an infusion of talent at almost every position and the arrival of a young quarterback with high-level talent in Caleb Williams, the Bears are 22nd in scoring and 30th in total yards. This comes despite Eberflus changing offensive coordinators from Luke Getsy to Shane Waldron.
Two other coaches in the same division are making him look even more inept, adding fuel to the fire under his seat.
Matt Eberflus looks completely hopeless among his NFC North peers.
Matt Lafleur lost Jordan Love to a knee injury after the opening night loss to Philadelphia. He responded by getting a 122.7 passer rating out of backup Malik Willis and compiling over 400 yards rushing in the past two weeks. Somehow, Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings has one-upped that by resurrecting the career of Sam Darnold. Everybody felt the former #3 overall pick was a lost cause. Now he’s thrown for 657 yards, eight touchdowns, and only two interceptions while pushing the Vikings to a 3-0 record.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Meanwhile, Matt Eberflus may have somehow picked a replacement who is worse than Getsy. The Bears could at least run the ball with him. They can’t under Waldron. The team is plagued with constant mental miscues and lacks any sort of identity. Eberflus always talks about playing with intensity and effort. It seems that only applies to the defensive side of the ball, which is exactly what critics of his hiring feared. He would fall into the same trap Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith did in previous years.
While the Bears may have finally upgraded at quarterback, it’s becoming clear they still face a huge gap at head coach.
It’s interesting reading everyone’s beefs with the Bears so far this year. The general consensus seems to be the coaches suck, having a defensive minded head coach is the wrong way to go, the offensive line is terrible and lacks talent. I’m not disputing those are all issues, to varying degrees, but in the grass isn’t always greener category, you just need to look at Tennessee. They have done literally everything Bear fans are screaming for and they suck. They hired a hot offensive coordinator, from a good coaching tree that includes Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak, among others. He… Read more »
Hey Erik —
It seems to me that responsibility for the Bears’ 11-26 record (.297) — you know — “currently the third-worst in franchise history” — really belongs to more than just HC Matt Eberflus.
GM Ryan Poles was hired on Jan. 25, 2022. He hired Matt Eberflus on Jan. 27, 2022; and AGM Ian Cunningham on Mar. 22, 2022.
How did two of these three Halas Hall regulars escape your criticism?
I would say that Sunday’s game vs The Rams is a must win. Especially with them not having Puka or Cooper Kupp and it being at home. If they lose, all HELL is going to break lose.