The Bears’ week was so frenetic and awful — and in certain cases, self-inflicted — that the greatest player in the NFL was asked to comment on one aspect of it Wednesday.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked what advice he’d give to the Bears quarterback Justin Fields after he said he wanted to play more freely.
“Trust your talent, trust your instincts,” Mahomes said Wednesday. “He’s here for a reason. He’s made a lot of big plays happen in the NFL and in college, wherever he’s been. So just trust in your instincts and then go out there and be the player you’ve always been.
“Just not against us, hopefully.”
He has little reason to worry. The Chiefs are favored to win by 12 ½ points, the longest deficit in a Bears point spread since the last game of the John Fox era.
The Bears have lost 12-straight games, which is both the longest streak in franchise history and the longest active one in the NFL. No team in NFL history has lost 12-straight while allowing at least 25 points in each game, a number Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Chiefs offense can easily eclipse Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
Even if they do, It wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to the Bears in the previous week.
The gory recap, in order of explosion:
• Sunday, the Bucs clinched their victory against the Bears by intercepting a screen pass they knew was coming and returning it for a touchdown.
• Wednesday, Fields said he was tired of playing “robotic” and, when asked why he was overthinking, offered the following: “You know, could be coaching.” Two hours later, he had the temerity to say he was taken out-of-context, blaming the media for chasing “clicks.”
• Left tackle Braxton Jones, who has yet to miss a snap in his career, was put on injured reserve with a neck injury Wednesday.
• After being gone because of what the team called personal reasons for one week, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned amid mysterious circumstances Wednesday, saying in a statement on his own stationary — and not that of the Bears — that he wanted to focus on his family and health. The Bears issued just a brief statement; coach Matt Eberflus said later in the week that he “resigned and it’s for health and family, and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
• General manager Ryan Poles held a rare press conference Thursday that was spent mostly defending Fields and offering little detail about Williams.
• And just for fun: Friday, Aaron Rodgers told ESPN he texted Packers quarterback Jordan Love after he beat the Bears to congratulate him for “keeping the ownership in place.”
The Bears are at their lowest point since, well, the last low point. But what makes this week particularly disturbing is this: the changes Bears fans clamored for in recent years have already been made.
This year’s team was designed to grow together. No one is coming to save them.
President/CEO Kevin Warren replaced Ted Phillips five months ago. Ryan Poles is starting Year 2 of his general manager career. Eberflus has been a head coach at any level for a grand total of 19 games. Luke Getsy’s tenure as an NFL offensive coordinator is just as long.
Fields won’t be going anywhere this season, either, short of an absolute offensive implosion. The Bears need to see what they have in him before deciding to extend his contract, give him a fifth-year option or move on by drafting a quarterback one of their two draft picks this spring.
Poles said in his Thursday press conference that he felt good about the Bears’ roster on paper. But he acknowledged that’s often not enough.
“It’s got to work together,” he said. “It doesn’t happen overnight.”
Neither does escaping the mess of the last week — even with a win against the defending champs.
