Matt Eberflus And Staff Bungled Their Last Chance To Save Themselves

Winning against Washington over a week ago was perfectly timed for Matt Eberflus. Until then, it looked like the Chicago Bears head coach would get fired before the season ended. That is how poorly the team had played through the first four games. With the 1-4 Minnesota Vikings coming to Soldier Field, it was a golden opportunity for Eberflus to build some momentum and maybe get his team back into the NFC mix. Sadly, it appears that the fun night in Washington was a blip on the radar.

While the Bears' defense played well on Sunday, it couldn't overcome yet another brutal performance by the offense. Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent both threw interceptions, and Bagent also lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. That score proved the difference in a crushing 19-13 loss. It was another sloppy, inconsistent effort by the team, something that is becoming too common under Eberflus. He is 4-19 as Bears head and remains winless against the NFC North division.

Matt Eberflus seems like a dead man walking now.

Fields suffered an injury to his hand that forced him out of the game. The fact he didn't return suggests it was severe. The initial belief is it might be broken. That would likely mean he missed multiple games, perhaps even a stint on Injured Reserve. This would mean the coaching staff needs Bagent, an undrafted rookie, to win them some games in the coming weeks. That feels like a tall order, given how the offense has performed even when Fields was healthy. At this point, it feels like a slow funeral procession for this staff.

Chicago will go into the off-season with one of the worst records in the league, securing another top-5 pick. Fields will likely get traded. The only lingering question is whether Ryan Poles will get to pick a replacement for Matt Eberflus or if team president Kevin Warren decides to find a new GM, too. The likeliest possibility is that Poles will get another crack at head coach while picking his preferred quarterback. All one can do is shrug at this point. Eberflus somehow ended up a worse head coaching experience than Matt Nagy.

It's another reminder of how the Bears can't identify that position every bit as much as quarterbacks.