A 4-4 record isn’t necessarily a cause for alarm for the Chicago Bears at the halfway point of the season.
However, the bigger issue for coach Matt Eberflus and his staff is the recent trend, and if it doesn’t change soon, the team’s season and future could be in jeopardy.
The Bears are coming off two tough losses: one from a last-second Hail Mary pass against Washington and the other, a 29-9 blowout loss to Arizona on Sunday. Eberflus believes he knows the main issue facing the team.
“We’re working on exactly what we need to improve on and that, to me, starts with the run game on offense and then defense, and to me, everything falls off of that,” Eberflus said Monday.
“We have to do a really good job of establishing that and that’s where you get your play-action passes and that’s where you get your play-action screens and putting yourselves in a good position to execute on third down if you get to that.”
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has had a tough time in away games, with a 67.2 passer rating on the road compared to 105.1 at home. The passing game is ranked 28th in the league for passing yards.
The team’s inability to establish a consistent running game to support Williams’ passing has resulted in slow starts. The Bears have only managed 10 first-quarter points this season.
“We need to get ready to play and ready to score points from drive one, from play one, and I think we have gotten ourselves into some negative plays, scenarios in those instances,” said rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze. “And we had flashes of great success on the first drive, too.
“So, we need to sustain that all the way into the end zone, so we can start fast and set the tempo for the game.”
“We need to get ready to play and be ready to score points from the very first drive, from the very first play, and I think we’ve put ourselves in some bad situations in those moments,” rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze said. “We also had some good moments on the first drive, too.
“So, we need to keep that going all the way into the end zone so we can start strong and set the pace for the game.”
While the offense has struggled with inconsistency, Chicago’s defense had been playing well — until Sunday. The Cardinals ran for 213 yards in their win, the most rushing yards the Bears have allowed since January 1, 2023, against Detroit.
The Bears were without defensive lineman Montez Sweat due to a shin injury, and they also lost defensive lineman Andrew Billings in the second half because of a pectoral injury. Eberflus didn’t provide an update on Billings on Monday.
Eberflus said the team wouldn’t make drastic coaching changes, like giving offensive play-calling duties to someone other than offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
“The changes we’re going to make is we’re going to look inward and make sure we do a good job of utilizing our talents and skills, and focus on the basic execution of our plan,” Eberflus said.
The Bears believe they’re still in an okay position at 4-4, even though it doesn’t seem like the worst record. However, with every other NFC North team having at least six wins, the rest of the season will be tough for them. They still have all six NFC North games left to play.
