DETROIT – At some point, Chicago Bears chairman George McCaskey will have to ask team president Kevin Warren what he thinks of this season and the direction of his beloved team.
Or maybe it’s Warren who asks McCaskey what he sees and believes is happening.
Maybe Warren has already decided what comes next for the franchise, along with general manager Ryan Poles.
After the Bears’ 23-20 loss against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, it could be time for Warren to convince McCaskey to break his longstanding preference of not firing a head coach during the season. Maybe that meeting comes on Friday back at Halas Hall.
Inside Ford Field, Warren lingered in the Bears’ locker room longer than he typically has this season. He talked at length to special adviser Ted Crews, who came from the Kansas City Chiefs, and he briefly met with some players. Poles also put his arm around quarterback Caleb Williams for a few private words before exiting the locker room.
Williams’ three-touchdown performance in the second half against the Lions is undoubtedly a positive. The Bears went from being blown out on national television to having a chance to win because of what Williams did with receivers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. In the second half, Williams was 15-for-24 for 222 yards and three touchdowns.
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But the Bears, as a team, still aren’t in a good place. Something is off and has been since the team’s Hail Mary loss against the Washington Commanders. Poles and Warren didn’t have to be in the locker room in Detroit to experience and learn that. The Bears have lost six consecutive games and the fashion in which the Bears are losing is beyond alarming.
It’s maddening.
This week’s controversy/blunder was Eberflus’ decision to not call a timeout for his rookie quarterback in the final 30 seconds after Williams was sacked for a six-yard loss by pass rusher Za’Darius Smith on what Williams later said was a draw play on second-and-20 from the Lions’ 35. Williams officially snapped the ball on third down with six seconds remaining.
“Yeah, once I seen the Detroit Lions walking on the field, I’m like, ‘Damn, what they doing? What’s going on?’” Allen said. “I didn’t realize the time had ran out. I’m like the time was running the whole time. … And then you look up and you realize we got a timeout. And it’s like, ‘Ah…’ yeah.”
The remaining timeout definitely makes the loss sting more.
“Oh, absolutely,” Allen said.
Several players were surprised that a timeout wasn’t called.
“I thought we were at least going to kick a field goal,” nickel back Kyler Gordon said.
Cairo Santos’ career long field goal is from 55 yards. He said that he was looking at a potential 59-yarder if he came in during that situation. The illegal use of hands penalty on left guard Teven Jenkins and the sack on Williams moved the Bears’ back to what he described as the “fringe” of his range at Ford Field. But he got himself ready to kick if needed.
“We rehearse these scenarios and I imagine myself kicking that,” Santos said. “I know we want to play for the win but I was kind of imagining myself at least getting a shot there. But .. I don’t know what was communicated between the offense.”
Eberflus’ argument was that the Bears wanted to run one more play and then call a timeout to set up Santos for a shorter field goal. That makes sense but the situation changed literally as every second came off the clock. Williams said he didn’t want to call a timeout after calling one earlier on the final possession. It would have to come from Eberflus.
Williams got to the line with 13 seconds left and then made an adjustment based on what he was seeing. He said he knew then that his eventual deep shot to rookie receiver Rome Odunze would be his last play of the game.
A wild end to this one. #CHIvsDET pic.twitter.com/zwR7g1Efv9
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024
“Whatever that situation is, that’s going to be coach’s call,” Williams said. “Maybe in the later years of my career, but right now, I get the call, I’m trying to lead the guys to win and I’m trying to get everybody lined up. And from there, I’m trying to make a play for the Chicago Bears.”
Did Williams mess up? Yes, he did.
But Williams is also a rookie quarterback playing against the Super Bowl-favorite Lions in a deafening stadium for the first time. He needed help in those anxious, heart-pumping moments and he didn’t get it from Eberflus. Thursday was Williams’ 12th game in the NFL. But it was Eberflus’ 46th as the Bears’ head coach.
This is why a tough conversation between Warren, McCaskey and Poles feels necessary right now.
Are the Bears really on to something with offensive coordinator Thomas Brown and Williams? Are the Bears as close to winning as the final scores against their NFC North rivals suggests they are? Do they really need to see more of Eberflus? Or why they should continue to put off what seems inevitable?
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Several players were asked in the locker room about what Eberflus said to the team after yet another heart-breaking loss. What transpired wasn’t exactly clear.
“Eh, nah” was Allen’s response.
Again, something feels off. Warren should have felt that as he made his way through the Bears’ locker room in Detroit.
Messages about togetherness start to mean little when games aren’t won in the NFL. And this is where the Bears in Year 3 with Eberflus.
“You only wanna hear it so much,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “Coach is going to say what he’s going to say. At the end of the day, we all realize we want the results. We just haven’t had the results. That falls upon everybody. It definitely hurts. As much as I love the guys in the locker room and sticking together, we want to win games. We’re just not doing that right now.”
(Photo: Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
