“I wanna say no.” Those are the words wide receiver DJ Moore said when asked on 670 The Score if head coach Matt Eberflus has lost the locker room. It was as half-hearted a statement as you could possibly expect from a veteran and captain of the Chicago Bears. He may not have said yes, but the undercurrents of that statement certainly hinted at something much deeper going on. The past two games, the Hail Mary heartbreaker in Washington and drubbing in Arizona, don’t reflect well on Eberflus for different reasons.
Bears Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington on Pass Rush Keys
The former happened because of some bad late-game decisions by the head coach, particularly on the second-to-last play when his defensive call gave the Commanders a free 13 yards to set up an easier Hail Mary attempt. Last week, it was another end-of-half collapse with seconds remaining. Courtney Cronin of ESPN stated on the Chicago Bears Podcast that the Moore comments were no accident. Something is going on inside that locker room.
DJ Moore tends to act out when he doesn’t like a coach.
He fired back at Matt Rhule once or twice when he was with the Carolina Panthers. He may not always show it with his personality, but he can be an emotional player. He loves football and has spent his entire career with losing teams. Nobody wants to win more than him. So when he senses a head coach is actively, if not intentionally, costing the team games? Yeah, he probably won’t rush to the guy’s defense. There is a good probability that others in the Bears locker room feel the same way.
You never want to say a single game could decide the fate of someone’s job, but that feels like the case for Eberflus on Sunday. The Bears play at home against the 2-7 New England Patriots. This is a game they can and should win. Everybody knows it. The question is whether DJ Moore and others will bring their best, knowing it might save him. They’re professionals, so the answer is probably yes. Still, it is hard not to think they would rather have him gone.
