Shane Waldron will continue to call plays for Bears offense. 'We're going to look inward,' Matt Eberflus says.

Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune on Nov 4, 2024

Published in Football

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CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears staggered back from Arizona on Sunday night with plenty of corrections to make and issues to address after a lopsided 29-9 loss to the Cardinals.

Now 4-4, the team should have a bounce-back remedy ready this week with the 2-7 New England Patriots visiting Soldier Field on Sunday. Still, the task of reversing the backward momentum from these last two losses will prove challenging.

Here are three things we learned Monday about the Bears’ next steps.

1. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron will continue to call plays.

Coach Matt Eberflus was asked directly Monday morning about potentially changing who would call the plays for quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense and was firm in rejecting any shake-up suggestions.

“The changes we’re going to make is that we’re going to look inward and make sure we do a good job of utilizing our talents and our skill and really just (improving) general, basic execution of our plan,” Eberflus said. “We have to make sure we’re doing that going forward.”

The Bears have a lot of troubleshooting ahead to revive an offense that has been sloppy and stagnant in the two games since the bye week. After exploding for 10 offensive touchdowns in a span of 18 true possessions during blowout wins over the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars, the Bears had just two touchdowns and 24 points in 23 offensive series in losses to the Cardinals and Washington Commanders.

Sunday’s defeat proved particularly frustrating with the Bears totaling just 241 yards and three field goals while going 3 for 14 on third down against the league’s 32nd-ranked third-down defense.

Williams was 22-of-41 passing for 217 yards and has found little flow over the last two weeks. Tight end Cole Kmet didn’t see a single target Sunday. DJ Moore recorded just four catches for 33 yards.

After eight games, the Bears rank 28th in the league in total offense (294.6 yards per game) and — with two Week 1 return touchdowns included — 19th in scoring (21.5 points per game).

Eberflus emphasized that energizing the league’s No. 23 rushing offense must take precedence. The Bears ran for only 69 yards against the Cardinals.

“We have to make sure that we’re committed to the run and stay committed to the run,” Eberflus said. “So we’ll make sure we establish that so we can utilize the whole gamut of our offense that comes off of that run game. The play-action (passes), the play-action screens, the movement passes. All those things come off of that. And it’s important that we do that.”

2. Eberflus reiterated he had no regret leaving in Williams to finish the game with the Bears trailing by 20.

The Cardinals replaced starting quarterback Kyler Murray with Clayton Tune with a little less than five minutes remaining, feeling confident the game was well out of reach. Eberflus, though, stressed Sunday night that he wanted Williams to stay in and work on his timing in the two-minute offense with 2:15 to play.

The Bears were depleted up front — right tackle Darnell Wright left with a knee injury in the second half and left tackle Braxton Jones missed the game with a knee issue — on a day Williams was hit 12 times and sacked six times.

Williams tweaked his left ankle when Cardinals linebacker Victor Dimukeje hit him while scrambling on the final possession. Williams then took another worrisome hit on the final play, with Dimukeje pulling and twisting the same ankle.

But Eberflus stood by the decision to leave in Williams to finish the blowout.

“The starters were left in the game because we’re going to fight to the end,” he said Monday. “It’s important that we have that mentality going forward.”

The risk-reward calculus didn’t seem favorable for the Bears and their franchise quarterback in that moment. And the team is fortunate Williams didn’t suffer a more serious injury.

Asked whether general manager Ryan Poles expressed any concern about that decision, Eberflus said: “I’m not going to get into private conversations with Ryan in terms of exactly what was said or not said. We’re always on board for getting better. And we’re always on board with competing to the very end, I’ll tell you that.”

3. The injury toll is adding up.

In addition to Jones, the Bears were without defensive starters Montez Sweat (shin), Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and Jaquan Brisker (concussion) on Sunday. Four more players left the game with injuries, and the Bears must hold their breath to see where the depth chart stands for the next game.

The team is bracing for the worst with starting defensive tackle Andrew Billings, who is feared to have suffered a season-ending pectoral injury. Wright and cornerbacks Terell Smith (ankle) and Jaylon Jones (shoulder) also were receiving further evaluation Monday.