In a season full of frustration with the offense, the Bears reached a new low on Sunday.
Chicago failed to find the end zone in a 19-3 loss to a New England Patriots team tied for the worst record in football Sunday morning. After a 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Bears have now gone eight straight quarters without scoring a touchdown.
The lackluster performance at home drew new and repeated boos and a “fireflus” chant from the Soldier Field crowd aimed at head coach Matt Eberflus.
It also led to tough questions for Eberflus during his post-match press conference. Eberflus was asked repeatedly to explain Chicago’s offensive ineptitude in a season that started with high expectations surrounding No. 1 quarterback Caleb Williams and veteran playmakers like DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift.
He was asked point-blank if he would consider a change for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with his job on the line.
“Like I said, we’ll look at everything — everything from top to bottom,” Eberflus said. “And making sure we find the answers to move the ball down the field, play better as a football team on offense, defense and special teams.”
Asked to confirm whether he would consider a move this week, Eberflus repeated himself.
“I just said we’re looking at everything,” Eberflus said. “Everything is being looked at.”
Bear offense goes 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. On Sunday they fell woefully behind on all three numbers.
The Bears managed just 142 yards of total offense against New England. They passed for 69 yards and ran for 73 yards. 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 racked up 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 lasted 20 yards on four plays. They did this against and against a Patriots defense that was ranked 25th in the NFL before Sunday’s game.
Eberflus preached responsibility for himself, his staff and his players during his press conference. Williams echoed that sentiment in his own comments after the game.
“It starts with me first,” Williams told reporters. “I played two or three times in important moments with a situational ball where it didn’t click in my head.”
Safety Kevin Byard, meanwhile, declined to comment on whether he still has confidence in Chicago’s coaching staff.
“I’m not going there,” Byard said. “We have to play better and we have to win.”
Chicago’s efforts and Eberflus’ postgame comments made for a high-stakes week, with decisions that could shape his future with the franchise. He was asked whether he felt at risk of losing the dressing room if he did not make a personnel change on Monday.
“I don’t think so,” said Eberflus. “I really believe in those guys. “They have confidence in our collaboration. I believe in our football team. I believe in the leaders of our football team.”
