It’s wild what one play can do to the trajectory of a season. Think about it… with just seconds to play against the Washington Commanders, it looked like the Chicago Bears were on the verge of improving to 5-2 on the season with what looked to be very winnable games against the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots coming up. But then Jayden Daniels and the Commanders win with an improbable walk-off Hail Mary, and just a couple of weeks later, the Bears are 4-5 and listless.
Since that loss to the Commanders, the Bears have scored a total of 12 points, all via the right leg of veteran kicker Cairo Santos. Those winnable games against the Cardinals and Patriots ended up being blowout losses, and as a result, after only nine games as the offensive coordinator in Chicago, Shane Waldron is now unemployed. Whether anyone in the Bears locker room will admit it or not, the team has undoubtedly quit on head coach Matt Eberflus.
Now, as the Bears prepare to host the 6-3 Green Bay Packers in a game that threatens to get ugly both on the field and in the stands, the frustration in the locker room is clear boiling over. Just take a listen to what All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson had to say about the play-calling on the opposite side of the ball.
In Chicago, it’s not abnormal for the defense to be miles ahead of the offense, but this year, that was supposed to change. And to be honest, for a few weeks there, it looked like it had.
Over a three-week stretch from late September into mid-October, the Bears offense showed steady improvement and Caleb Williams looked like he had cleared the rookie wall. Sure, those three wins came against the Rams, Panthers and Jaguars, none of whom boast a top-tier defense, but still, in Chicago, the bar is generally pretty low for offensive competency.
But over the last three weeks, the Bears offense has looked as bad as it did in the first few weeks of the season, and because that came after a three-week stretch of competency, it stings even more. Caleb Williams has plummeted, in large part because of he’s been playing behind an offensive line that has given up 18 sacks in the last three games. And we can’t underrate what damage Shane Waldron was doing too.
Meanwhile, all season long, the Bears defense has remained mostly steady. Heading into Week 11, Chicago’s defense is 7th in points allowed and 6th in turnovers forced. No defense has allowed fewer passing touchdowns (6) than the Bears.
But as has been the case so often in the past, yet another top ten defense in Chicago will be wasted by an offense that failed to live up to anyone’s expectations.
