The Chicago Bears had their first NFC North division win under Matt Eberflus in the bag. They had the Detroit Lions on the ropes in their own stadium, and it sure looked like Justin Fields would get that glorious narrative-building win in his return from a thumb injury. But because they are coached by Eberflus, the Bears found a way to blow it anyway.
The same as it ever was.
To be clear, the final score is all that matters. But no team that forces four turnovers, has a completely clean game on offense, enjoys over 250 yards from scrimmage from its quarterback, and has a 12-point lead with over three minutes to go should ever lose. Ah, but dearest readers, the Bears are not your average run-of-the-mill lousy team. Eberflus ensures they are worse, and they are now 0-9 in the NFC North since he took over as coach.
An Aidan Hutchinson strip-sack on Fields to end any faint hope of a desperate Bears rally (and cement a 31-26 Detroit victory) should’ve been seen coming from a mile away:
AIDAN. HUTCHINSON.
📺: #CHIvsDET on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jckqnJwdb2 pic.twitter.com/tuWDh0Mjcg— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023
Here’s another close-up angle of Hutchinson embarrassing rookie offensive tackle Darnell Wright, who just kicked the ball into the end zone in defeat:
One man wrecking crew 😤 @aidanhutch97
📺: #CHIvsDET on FOX
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/jckqnJwdb2 pic.twitter.com/qf7l0SjQcz— NFL (@NFL) November 19, 2023
Look at this win probability chart. It takes an NFL coaching disaster-class to lose a game like this. Losing with over a 98 percent chance of winning, with just over three minutes to go is unfathomable … except to Eberflus and his Bears:
"Ope lemme just sneak past ya" pic.twitter.com/RYN2pQzoME
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) November 19, 2023
How poetic.
With Chicago’s eighth defeat on the season, the Bears are now 6-22 under Eberflus in less than two full years. For their sake, I wish I could say that playing hard only to lose was something they could hang their hats on, but that doesn’t happen all that often. Of Chicago’s 25 defeats under Eberflus, nine have been by double digits. A lot of the time, the Bears’ Sundays are over before they start. This team doesn’t have the capability to compete on a sustainable basis. And even when the Bears do put up a good fight — such as against the Lions — they find a way to pull defeat from the jaws of victory.
What’s worse, Eberflus now sits in a comfortable position to be recognized as the worst head coach of the NFL’s oldest team. Ever. That’s right, folks. The Bears have existed for roughly 103 years, and they have never (read: never) had a coach with a worse winning percentage than Eberflus’ .222. If you’re the Bears’ coach and you hear the name “Abe Gibron” being invoked, that’s a sign of pending doom. Take a bow, Mr. Eberflus.
There have been slight murmurs Chicago could bring Eberflus back for a third season on the Lake Michigan lakefront. Part of the justification has been “moral defeats” like the one to the Lions. In that event, the bumbling Bears would be willingly opting themselves out of relevance. In what should be a coming offseason of upheaval, that might be the worst possible decision the Bears could make.
But nothing terrible the Bears do should be surprising anymore. Eberflus is a perfect sideline leader to represent the NFL’s worst marquee team.
