The Los Angeles Rams come to Solider Field on Sunday to face the Chicago Bears after a 27-24 victory over the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.
The optimism for the Chicago Bears is waning following their loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week. Many national pundits are laughing at Shane Waldron's play design and play calling. The players' frustration about Waldron's play calling is starting to appear and could boil over.
1. Matt Eberflus faces an important test on Sunday.
And Eberflus is not helping himself by constantly throwing players under the bus for lack of execution while he continues to have problems with bad clock management and bad coach's challenges. The lack of accountability from him and his coaches are very worrisome.
If the Eberflus wants to prove he can coach in this league, he must beat Sean McVay on Sunday. If the Bears lose to the shorthanded Rams however, the call for his firing will grow louder.
No.2: The Bears defense did not do their job against the Colts. They need to tighten it up moving forward.
The Bears' defense has done its job through three weeks. They've created pressures and turnovers. But the Colts scored 21 points and won the game—the same Colts team that scored only 10 points against the Green Bay Packers a week before. The week before, the Texans scored 19 points in their win over the Bears but only scored 7 points against the Minnesota Vikings the following week.
While offensive issues get all the attention and they must improve significantly, Eberflus need to pay close attention to his defense too.
The Colts did their best to give away the game as quarterback Anthony Richardson threw two horrible picks and also missed open receivers. But the Bears defense did gave up a lot of rushing yards as running back Jonathan Taylor scored two touchdowns. Poor tackling which was a problem last year reared its ugly head in the Colts game resulted in big yardage after the catch.
Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford returns to Chicago, where he is no stranger, having played for the Detroit Lions. Even without Puka Nukua and Cooper Cupp, the Rams still won against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday. The defense needs to tighten up against a seasoned veteran like Stafford.
No.3: Eberflus is ranked very high on the NFL Head Coach Hot Seat List
Matt Eberflus was already considered one of the head coaches on the hot seat entering the 2024 season. Three weeks into the season, his status has not changed, as expectations have not been met so far.
No.4: My Prediction for Sunday
Despite all the negative noise, this is a game that the Bears can still win even though there is a gap in coaching which makes many fans nervous.
The Rams enter this contest ranked dead last in defensive rankings, giving up 425.7 yards per game and allowing 11 touchdowns. They are the only team that has given up over 400 yards per game. They also rank next to last in rush defense, giving up 177 yards per game.
Against the loss to the Colts, where the Bears continued to struggle in the run game, there is an expectation that the team will give an increased look to Roschon Johnson this week.
The run game will likely feature Johnson, and wide receiver Keenan Allen is back in this game. Expect much-needed reinforcements on offense to make a difference against the porous Rams defense. Otherwise, Waldron might find himself on the hot seat with a bye week looming.
Prediction: Bears 27-17
Many have looked at these next three games as an important moment for Eberflus' tenure with the Bears.
Looking beyond Sunday's game against the Rams, the Bears play the Carolina Panthers in Week 5. Carolina just replaced Bryce Young with Andy Dalton, and they hung 36 points in their win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. If they beat Dalton's former team, the Cincinnati Bengals, this Sunday, the Panthers game is no longer an easy win that many had predicted.
Then the Bears face the Jacksonville Jaguars in London with Doug Pederson, who is at the top of the hot seat following an uninspiring loss against the Buffalo Bills on Monday night. There is a strong chance they enter this contest 0-5 while the Bears could be 1-4. The main conversation throughout the game will likely be the job status of both Pederson and Eberflus.
If the Jaguars lose to the Bears, Pederson could be fired as soon as they arrive in the US. If the Bears lose this game, then Eberflus will be at the top of the hot seat list.
