One week after firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the Chicago Bears were in position to defeat the Green Bay Packers. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams set up the game-winning kick with three seconds remaining. Once veteran kicker Cairo Santos nailed the 46-yarder, the Bears would improve to 5-5 on the season with a statement win over their division rivals. Of course, that is not the way things played out. The Packers blocked the field goal as time expired and the Bears lost yet another heartbreaker.
It was the Bears’ fourth straight loss and they’ve now dropped their last 11 matchups against the Packers, a streak that dates back to the 2018 season. Yet while fans are likely gutted by the most recent last-second defeat this season, NFL coach turned analyst Rex Ryan is looking on the bright side.
“To me, moving forward, this is great… Chicago Bears, the best thing happened to you. Why? Your quarterback looked really good, which I mean he’s a superstar. And you know what else? You lost the game! That’s fantastic because you’re going to get a new coach in there and… you’re going to have a better draft spot,” Ryan opined on ESPN’s Get Up.
“This ain’t your year anyway and it’s unfortunate, it should be. You should be in the playoffs with this kind of talent…But what's happened? You got a guy that I don’t understand, he should never do a press conference, ever. Just say, ‘I’ll take the fine,’ because it gets worse, and worse, and worse,” Ryan added, speaking of Chicago’s head coach Matt Eberflus.
Bears’ rookie QB Caleb Williams showed signs of improvement in Week 11
Rex’s big picture take is likely little solace for Bears fans as the team hasn’t had a winning season in six years. Chicago last made the playoffs in 2020, when they lost in the Wild Card round to the New Orleans Saints.
It’s been a brutal run for Eberflus. With the Week 11 loss, the Bears are now 14-30 since he was hired as head coach in 2022. Chicago’s current four-game losing streak started with a soul-crushing Hail Mary touchdown pass by Jayden Daniels as the Washington Commanders got the walk-off win in Week 8. That surreal situation was made worse by Eberflus claiming the call that set up the final play didn’t matter.
Chicago then got blown out by the Arizona Cardinals and the Patriots. Bears fans were calling for Eberflus to be fired after Week 10’s embarrassing loss. Instead, Eberflus served up OC Waldron. Williams and the Bears showed improvements in their first game without Waldron, pushing a strong Packers team to the brink. Overall, the Bears’ offense looked better under new coordinator Thomas Brown.
According to Rex Ryan, the offensive improvements are a great sign and the loss is the perfect outcome. The Bears will look to play well enough to inspire confidence but not so well that they actually win when they take on the Minnesota Vikings at home in Week 12.
