All week long at Halas Hall, the message being preached was violence and assertiveness going into the first game after firing former head coach Matt Eberflus.
That mantra clearly didn't get through to the Chicago Bears' locker room and it was evident from the opening drive against the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers methodically marched 70 yards in five plays to open the game with a touchdown while the offense had yet another three-and-out to start the game. Before long, the team was down 24-0 in the first-half with little fight left to be had by the Bears.
"We got our (butt) kicked today," rookie quarterback Caleb Williams said. "There's no way around it. We got it handed to us. As an offense, defense, special teams, myself, we have to come out and be better. We have to have our screws screwed. We have to be on point, and that's not what happened today."
Sunday's loss was perhaps the worst loss of the season for a Bears' team that continues to spiral out of control. The worst part was, everything was expected to be fixed this week with the locker room rallying together after making a second coaching change of the season.
Instead, the execution on the field was an embarrassment not only to the players, but the remaining coaching staff looking to help pick them up. There's no one left to be blamed for the poor performance than the players themselves.
“We didn’t execute. I mean, bottom line,” safety Kevin Byard said. “Didn’t make enough plays. I didn’t play well. I didn’t think anybody played well. I don’t think anybody can say they played well enough for us to win today. Just got to be better.”
After the loss, wide receiver DJ Moore added that the week of preparation under new interim head coach Thomas Brown "looked good" but the results were far from it.
A lot of the same mistakes the Bears have been putting on tape during the six game losing streak were exposed once again. The Bears' offensive line failed to protect their rookie quarterback, pass catchers failed to catch the ball and constantly ran overtop of each other, and overall the entire team came out of gate with zero energy.
"When we start fast, we stay in the game," Moore added. "I don't know what's not clicking, but we need to get it going."
Time is running out in 2024 to get something going. However, the Bears will have an extra day of rest and preparation before their next game on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. After that, only three games remain for Thomas Brown and the players in what has quickly become another lost season for Chicago.
"I'm not making excuses," Brown said. "Whether I have a week or I have five months, the goal is to win football games. We didn't win."
