It didn’t take Matt Eberflus long to look ahead after the Bears suffered one of the most embarrassing losses in recent history Sunday. It couldn’t be any more painful than looking backward.
Less than a minute after he started explaining away his blowout loss to the Chiefs in a cramped room in the bowels of Arrowhead Stadium, Eberflus pointed to the Bears’ next two games.
“We got a great opportunity ahead of us,” he said.
Starting Sunday against the Broncos and continuing Thursday night at the Commanders, the Bears will play two games in five days.
They will be most important five days of Eberflus’ NFL career.
A week from hell, capped by a 41-10 loss to the Chiefs, was the biggest test of Eberflus’ ability to be a head coach for the first time at any level. Everyone failed — defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned amid controversy, quarterback Justin Fields ripped his coaches and the defense Eberflus inherited was blown away by the defending Super Bowl champions.
The Bears might be the worst team in football. We’ll find out Sunday. Only five teams have scored fewer points thus far this season. Only one team — Sunday’s opponent, the Broncos — have given up more points.
They’ve lost 13-straight games, a franchise record. Eberflus has the lowest winning percentage of any coach in franchise history. Even acknowledging the Bears’ roster deficiencies last year, it’s fair to wonder if Eberflus, after only 20 games as a head coach, is in over his head.
General manager Ryan Poles said last week that he had a “ton of faith in Flus as a leader,” claiming he’s “done a great job.” It’s worth wondering whether president/CEO Kevin Warren, who was hired after Eberflus and Poles and oversees them, agrees. Warren has yet to see the Bears win.
One victory — particularly against one of the NFL’s three other winless teams — won’t put those questions to rest. Neither will two. But it’s better than the alternative — Eberflus feeling pressure to make major changes to an 0-5 team during the “mini-bye” next weekend.
There will be a big difference between 0-5 and 2-3.
“We’ve got everybody on our back — it’s like, ‘Oh, the Bears suck, all that. …’ receiver Darnell Mooney said Friday. “But I mean, we gotta go out there and get a (win) ... It’d definitely feel good to get a win, especially these next two, for sure.
“It would definitely change everything you have going on. It’s the reality of it all.”
Mooney pointed to a five-day stretch the Bears played last season. They were 2-2 when they lost by seven at the Vikings and then, five days later, lost by five at home to the Commanders on a Thursday night. Mooney caught a pass from Fields and was tackled at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal with 30 seconds to play.
The Bears have won one game since.
The Commanders won six of their next seven.
“That was a big game where it turned — kind of a turning point of our season,” Mooney said. “Like, ‘OK, this is where it’s going.’ And then with Washington it was a turning point in their season. Like, ‘This is where they’re going. …’
“I think this one, this Sunday game is one of those — and then the Thursday game.”
Eberflus wouldn’t acknowledge that Friday, of course, saying that “this game is as important as the last one and the next one.”
But the next five days are crucial.
“I understand the passion of the Chicago Bears fans, and I understand the passion of our football team,” he said. “And we all want a victory, and I think it’s important that we fight for 60 minutes to get that done.”
And then, five days later, to do it again.
