Sports
Bears coach Matt Eberflus pelted with ‘fire Flus’ chants, asked about moving on from OC Shane Waldron: ‘We’ll look at everything’
In a season filled with frustration on offense, the Bears hit a new low on Sunday.
Chicago failed to find the end zone in a 19-3 loss to a New England Patriots team that was tied for the worst record in football Sunday morning. On the heels of a 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Bears have now gone eight straight quarters without scoring a touchdown.
The flaccid showing at home drew fresh and repeated rounds of boos and a “fire Flus” chant from the Soldier Field crowd aimed at head coach Matt Eberflus.
It also prompted some tough questioning for Eberflus in his postgame news conference. Eberflus was repeatedly asked to explain Chicago’s offensive ineptitude in a season that started with high hopes around No. 1 pick quarterback Caleb Williams and veteran playmakers including DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift.
He was asked point blank if he’d consider a change from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with his job on the line.
“Like I said, we’ll look at everything — at everything from the top to the bottom,” Eberflus said. “And making sure that we’re finding the answers to move the ball on the field, play better as a football team on offense, defense and special teams.”
Asked to confirm if he would consider making a move this week, Eberflus repeated himself.
“I just said we’re looking at everything,” Eberflus said. “Everything’s gonna be looked at.”
Bears offense devolves from bad to worse
The Bears entered Sunday with the league’s 28th-ranked offense, a unit that averaged 294.6 yards per game with 182.1 yards through the air and 112.5 on the ground. They fell woefully short of all three numbers on Sunday.
The Bears managed just 142 yards of total offense against New England. They passed for 69 yards and ran for 73. Williams completed 16 of 30 passes for 120 yards. He was sacked nine times for a loss of 51 yards.
The Bears converted one of 14 attempts on third down. They managed 11 first downs for the game. They punted eight times and turned the ball over twice on downs. Their longest drive of the second half went for 20 yards on four plays. They did this against at against a Patriots defense that ranked 25th in the NFL before Sunday’s game.
Eberflus preached accountability for himself, his staff and his players in his news conference. Williams echoed that sentiment in his own postgame comments.
“It first starts with me,” Williams told reporters. “I had 2-3 plays in key moments of situational ball where it didn’t click in my head.”
Safety Kevin Byard, meanwhile, declined to address if he still has trust in Chicago’s coaching staff.
“I’m not going to go there,” Byard said. “We’ve got to play better and we’ve got to win.”
Chicago’s effort and Eberflus’ postgame comments set up a high-stakes week with decisions that could shape his future with the franchise. He was asked if he felt the risk of losing the locker room if he didn’t make a staff change as soon as Monday.
“I don’t think so,” Eberflus said. “I do believe in those guys. “They have faith in us working together. I believe in our football team. I believe in the leaders on our football team.”