Three Takeaways from Bears loss to Lions |
The Thomas Brown coaching era hasn't gone according to plan for the Chicago Bears, as they have yet to win since he took over as head coach. Not only that, but unlike their final few losses with Matt Eberflus, where the Bears were right in the game until the end, Brown is now 0-3 since taking over this team, and they have been blown out by 17 points or more in each of those games.
Perhaps moving on from Eberflus wasn't the best decision for this team mid-season, as the team was far more competitive with him as head coach and Brown calling the plays for the offense. If anything, this move has proven that Brown isn't ready to be a Head Coach in this league, and there is a high likelihood that he will not get an interview to lead this team going forward. Sunday was more of the same for the Chicago Bears as they hosted the first-place Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. For the third time in as many weeks, the Bears got off to an extremely slow start and fell behind by 20 points before the offense started to pick things up. That isn't a recipe for success, but when you do that against good teams like the Lions and Vikings, you aren't giving yourself much of a chance to win. This is one area that this team will need to fix heading into the offseason. They need to figure out how to shake these slow starts to give the team a chance. Here are some takeaways from another loss:
What was this team's strength most of the season and for the better part of the last three seasons? The Bears' defense has suddenly become a major liability. A lot of that could be the teams they faced in recent weeks, as they have seen the Vikings and Lions the last two weeks and the three division leaders in five of their last eight games, with one more game against the Packers. There are no excuses for this team anymore, as the bottom line is they need to play better on both sides of the ball. While the offense has shown signs of life at times, the defense is going backwards, and much of that has to do with the slow starts this team has gotten off to. Any time you put your team in big holes early, you're putting pressure on the defense to stay on the field longer and try to keep things close. They look worn out and gassed at this point, and who can blame them when you look at how the season has gone? This was the one area that kept the team competitive most of the season, but at some point, you knew it would be too much for them to overcome, and that time has come.
There haven't been too many positive things coming out of Chicago this season, but the biggest positive is Caleb Williams's play. After struggling to get rolling under Shane Waldron, Williams has looked like a different quarterback the past two months and has really taken off since Brown started to call plays. His strong play continued on Sunday as he threw for nearly 350 yards and two touchdowns, all while going another game without an Interception. That means more than 300 pass attempts without an interception, which is a rookie record. He hasn't thrown an interception since the Washington Commanders game. That game also started the Bears' current tailspin. They are on a nine-game losing streak, and that game started it all. Williams was seen as the franchise quarterback for this team when they drafted him, and although it took a little while for him to get going, he is playing the part of a franchise quarterback in every aspect. Caleb Williams needs 285 pass yards per game the final 2 games to beat the Chicago Bears single season pass yards record (3,838 yards set by Erik Kramer) pic.twitter.com/Y4prdUCAZF Sure, he still makes mistakes and has some accuracy issues, but his strong arm and ability to stretch the field can't be overlooked, and this is an element that the Bears offense hasn't had. The best part of his game that gets overlooked is how he protects the ball, as he leads all rookies with just five interceptions and has gone eight games without a pick. That is elite, any way you slice it, and his protection of the football will be a massive part of his long-term success.
Everyone knows that once Black Monday arrives in two weeks, the Head Coaching search in Chicago will be in full swing. Although several names have already been mentioned, the consensus choice among the fans is that Lions OC Ben Johnson will be offered the job to take over. Johnson has been among the best offensive minds in the game the past two seasons and has been very high on the Bears' list, along with other teams. Johnson has also expressed interest in taking over the Bears, so there are plenty of mutual feelings between the two sides. If Sunday taught us anything, Johnson knows how to dial up an offense, and a fun one at that. Not only is his offense filled with weapons that the Bears lack, but it also lives off trickery and explosive plays, which the Bears lacked most of the season. Chicago also has a young franchise quarterback to build around, so look for Johnson or anyone else to tailor the system around Johnson and his strengths. Sunday was the perfect interview for Johnson, and he passed his first unofficial interview in front of 60+ thousand fans.The defense looks worn out
Caleb Williams continues to impress
Did the Bears watch their next head coach beat them?
