Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
The Chicago Bears ripped defeat from the jaws of victory in Week 8 with a loss to the Washington Commanders that was chalk full of poor play calling and boneheaded mistakes.
Multiple media members criticized Chicago’s coaching staff, namely head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator/play caller Shane Waldron for a couple of crucial plays that helped swing the game Washington’s way.
“Gotta wonder why [running back] Roschon Johnson wasn’t tabbed on two plays: 4th/1 screen pass that went to DJ Moore for no gain [and] the carry called for [offensive lineman] Doug Kramer at the goal line,” Courtney Cronin of ESPN posted to X on Sunday, October 27.
The handoff to Kramer came in the fourth quarter with Chicago trailing 12-7 and led to a fumble that gave the Commanders possession of the football. The fourth down play came earlier in the game and also resulted in a possession change that swung the momentum of the game further into Washington’s favor.
The Bears ended up getting the ball back still trailing by 5 following the goal line turnover. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams led the team down the field and the offense capped the drive with a rushing touchdown by Johnson. Chicago converted the two-point conversion and took a three-point lead.
Then, on the final play of the game, Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels threw a 52-yard Hail Mary that ricocheted off of Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and fell into the hands of wide receiver Noah Browns for a TD and the victory as time expired.
The #Bears wouldn’t have even been in that situation if braindead Shane Waldron didn’t run the ball with a ******* offensive lineman at the goal line,” Jacob Infante of WCGridiron posted to X following the play.
Bears’ Defensive Play Calling Also Questionable in Loss to Commanders
GettyCornerback Tyrique Stevenson of the Chicago Bears.
One could criticize the Bears’ defensive play calling on the Hail Mary pass as well, as the team rushed just three players and allowed Daniels forever and a day (in football terms) to let the play develop, set his feet and heave.
Ultimately that falls on the players, namely Stevenson who was busy taunting Commanders fans right before surrendering the game-losing play, but a little bit of pressure might have changed things.
In either case, Sunday’s incidents marked the third time in seven games that coaching issues have come up following a Chicago loss.
Matt Eberflus Spoke About Bears’ Coaching Mistakes
GettyChicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
Eberflus spoke about mistakes the coaching staff made against the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 3 loss, which included blowing a timeout ahead of a two-point conversion try.
“That’s on the coaches,” Eberflus said during the postgame press conference. “We’ve got to be better there from the top to the bottom, from upstairs down to the bottom. We’ve got to be better there.”
Eberflus also caught heat for poor game and clock management in Week 2 against the Houston Texans. The head coach spoke about the Hail Mary disaster following his team’s third loss of the season on Sunday.
“We’ve practiced that play a hundred times since we’ve been here,” Eberflus said. “I have to look at what the execution was on that. We have a body on a body, boxing guys out like basketball at the very end. We have one guy that’s the ‘rim’ that knocks the ball down. We’ve got a back-tip guy that goes behind the pile. I’ve got to look at it, detail it out and make sure we’re better next time.”
