There was no holding back from Matt Eberflus on why he kept Caleb Williams in the game during the final stages of the Chicago Bears' 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9. In the fourth quarter, Williams limped off with an ankle injury, but played out the final drive despite the huge deficit.
Eberflus, whose efforts have had the Bears playing strong football in recent weeks, gave his official reasoning for why he didn't rest Williams before the last whistle, per Chris Emma of 670 The Score and Audacy. His response was short and sweet.
“The starters were left in the game because we're going to fight to the end,” Eberflus said.
The Bears drop to 4-4 after the brutal loss to the Cardinals, and falling to the Washington Commanders on a Hail Mary touchdown pass from Jayden Daniels in the final seconds of their Week 8 matchup. The Bears defense played its worst game arguably all season against Arizona, allowing three rushing TDs by halftime, and 213 total rushing yards.
Caleb Williams' Week 9 performance for the Bears
For the second week in a row, Williams' performance was not up to par. He lost the rookie battle against Daniels in Week 8, and he followed it up with a quiet 22-of-41 for 217-yard passing line against a feeble Cardinals defense. Eberflus is a firm believer in his QB, and that the Bears will get back on track in Week 10.
“We’ve got everybody we need in that circle of men in there and the staff members in there and the coaches in there,” Eberflus said, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “We’ve got everyone we need. We have to take an inward look and make sure we’re doing things the right way. That starts with the coaches first. And then it starts with that practice on Wednesday.”
The Bears' next chance for redemption will be on November 10 against the 2-7 New England Patriots.
