Quarterback Caleb Williams wants to help the Chicago Bears’ offense return to its former level after last week’s loss to the Washington Commanders, which ended with a Hail Mary pass.
Before that can happen, the Bears and coach Matt Eberflus may need to sort out some issues.
After the 18-15 loss, players openly questioned some coaching decisions and spent Wednesday discussing how they could stay focused for their upcoming game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
“We’re playing in a league where you gotta be honest with yourself,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “You gotta look yourself in the mirror, but we are drawing closer together as a team, getting through this together, because that’s what it’s going to take to move forward, to get through it together.”
Before they could move forward, there appeared to be some accountability issues that needed to be addressed.
Wide receiver DJ Moore raised concerns about a play call involving center Doug Kramer at the goal line during the fourth quarter on a local radio show.
“Me and Flus talked about it with the captains,” Moore said. “And it’s just got to stay in-house next time.”
“I mean, I’m not going to say ‘sorry for what I said,’ but at the same time it is, it should have just stayed in house, but I said what I said.”
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson also questioned why they didn’t call a timeout before the crucial Hail Mary pass to organize the defense. Eberflus didn’t disagree with this point on Wednesday.
“My biggest thing was, I’m sure if we’re in the finals, we got one more shot or one more possession you are going to call, in a sense, a timeout to make sure the play is drawn up correctly,” Johnson said. “We want to set this pick this way. I mean get your guys in the best position to succeed.”
“I mean at the end of the day that doesn’t necessarily change the result, but it changes I would say your mentality going into that play.”
Johnson mentioned that team leadership meetings and discussions with coaches can only help so much.
“We’ve been talking about doing things better the right way,” Johnson said. “I mean, at the end of the day, something like that just exposes certain things.
“But at the end of the day, it wasn’t nothing new that was said. It was just things that we keep reiterating that of course bit us in the (rear).”
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was distracted by fans at the start of the Hail Mary pass and didn’t notice what was happening. He didn’t follow his assignment and missed covering Noah Brown in the back of the end zone, which allowed him to catch the tipped pass.
Eberflus has not said publicly whether Stevenson will face any punishment or lose his starting spot.
“Perceptions are what they are and I appreciate your question, but in the building we hold each other accountable and it’s about our circle and the men in the building,” Eberflus said.
The Bears have bigger problems than just that one play.
Williams and the offense have been having trouble starting games. They have scored only 10 points in the first quarter and made mistakes on Sunday, like Williams taking a 15-yard sack that put them out of field-goal range.
“If we keep putting points on the board, if we keep doing our job, if I keep doing my job to the best of my ability, finding ways to get points and things like that, protect the football, we win a lot of games, especially with the defense that we have,” Williams said.
The Bears believe there is still a long season ahead. That could be good or bad considering how they reacted after the tough loss.
“We’re not below .500, the sky isn’t falling,” Moore said. “So, on to the next opponent. That’s the Cardinals and we’ve just got to find a way to be 1-0 next week.”
