Eberflus updates injuries, pleased with offense despite "disappointing" ending |
CHICAGO - Nothing is more painful than a loss to the Green Bay Packers, especially in Soldier Field. Losing the game on a blocked 46-yard field goal that also doinked on the crossbar is probably the most agonizing way the Bears have lost to the Packers in a long time. That is saying a lot given Green Bay has not beaten Chicago 11 times in a row after their 20-19 victory this past Sunday.
Chicago’s offense had been hard to watch for the past three games prior to their matchup against Green Bay. That was not the case against the Packers. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completed 23 of 31 pass attempts for 231 yards. Chicago scored two touchdowns in this game, both on the ground with running backs Roschon Johnson and D’Andre Swift. When the Bears needed a drive to get in field goal range with under three minutes left in the game, Williams delivered; he did what he could on that final drive to win the game. Head coach Matt Eberflus was proud of the Chicago offense's efforts throughout the game, particularly on that final drive. “Was really pleased how the operation of that week went in terms of the collaboration with the offensive staff and the players and I think that showed (Sunday). Communication during the game was great. Guys were finding answers to move the ball and they did a nice job of that. I thought (offensive coordinator) Thomas Brown did a wonderful job of bringing that collaboration together,” Eberflus said. “Caleb, I thought played really well. He played well (Sunday), played winning football. The drive that they had there and the completions he made to put us in field goal range I thought were outstanding. The two plays to (rookie receiver) Rome (Odunze) and then also the play to (receiver) Keenan (Allen). That’s a real football there and against a division rival and did a really nice job of putting us in position there.” When Chicago reached the Packers’ 30-yard line on the final drive, Green Bay took its final timeout of the game with 35 seconds left. The Bears opted to run the ball coming out of the timeout to set up the field goal with three seconds left. Some question why Chicago chose to do that instead of trying to get extra yardage for the field goal. “In terms of the operation there from the 30, we ran the ball one time, tried to get a few more yards right there. We felt good in terms of where the kick line was,” Eberflus said. “The wind was not a factor (Sunday), and (kicker) Cairo (Santos)’s made a bunch of those kicks inside of that range, and we felt confident in Cairo and confident in our operation there.” Santos has been one of the more reliable kickers in the league since coming to Chicago in 2020. However, this year has been his worst year with a field goal percentage of 85.7 percent. With the exception of 2021, Santos has made over 90 percent of his field goals every year he has been with the Bears. Furthermore, Santos has a lower ceiling compared to other kickers. His career high is 55 yards whereas other kickers in the league have the leg to make kicks over 60 yards. Perhaps this game will show Chicago they need to make a change at kicker in the offseason. On the injury front, the Bears lost another offensive lineman. Ryan Bates, who has only been able to play in three games this season, left early in the game against Green Bay and is now in concussion protocol. Luckily for Chicago, he was the only player injured in this game which is refreshing after having so many injuries in the other games. With Sunday's loss, the Bears have put themselves in a hole in the division with a 4-6 record. They will continue their division play next Sunday when they take on the Minnesota Vikings (Noon / FOX), who are second in the division with an 8-2 record overall. With the positives Eberflus saw in this game compared to the previous three weeks, he is confident in the Bears moving forward. “There (were) a lot of positives to build from and that’s what you have to do. So, the last three weeks, the offense hadn’t played well. We hadn’t played good complementary football on defense and we haven’t done a lot of things together the last three weeks,” Eberflus said. “But (Sunday), we played complementary football. (Sunday), we did do the things necessary to win the game. So, I think it’s a positive thing and we just got to move forward from it. I know it’s disappointing at the end, but we have to move forward.”
