Where Do the Bears Go from Here After Disastrous Loss to the Niners?
The Thomas Brown era as head coach of the Chicago Bears is off to a rough start. The Bears were thoroughly dominated by an injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers in California on Sunday afternoon. The Bears have been plagued by multiple gut-wrenching losses in the final minutes of games this season, but this was not one of those outcomes. So, let's take a look at what the Bears can take away from this lackluster performance and where they go from here.
Another slow start
A constant issue for the Bears this season has been their inability to start games with any kind of momentum. Chicago has only scored first in one game this season out of the 13 they have played. That is by far the worst mark in the NFL, and Sunday was yet another example of this. The 49ers came out and easily scored on four of their five offensive drives in the first half. San Francisco also outgained the Bears 320-4 in total yards of offense in the first half. This has been a point of emphasis for this Bears team for seemingly the whole season, but they continue to put themselves behind the eight ball early in games. The Bears offense was able to show some life in the second half as Caleb Williams threw two touchdown passes to fellow rookie Rome Odunze, but the hole they dug themselves from the first half was far too deep to dig out of by that point. This offense is clearly still in the process of working through things with a rookie quarterback, injuries on the offensive line, and new weapons on the outside. Still, it is very difficult for any offense, let alone a developing one, to have to work from behind in every game they play constantly. Thomas Brown and the rest of the offense need to find some way to have some first-half success on offense over the last month of the season, or the Bears will continue to find themselves down in games early and often.
The defense was totally outmatched
If there was one saving grace for Matt Eberflus during his tenure as Bears’ head coach, it would undoubtedly be the toughness of the defense, especially in the red zone. Under Matt Eberflus, the Bears had one of the best red zone defenses in terms of holding teams to field goals, and it was apparent that skill took a hit on Sunday. The Niners had very little difficulty punching it into the end zone once they got into the red zone, and they got into the red zone quite often. It felt like the urgency and motivation were not the same in that part of the field as in previous weeks. Now, part of this could be Kyle Shanahan's playcalling abilities. Still, even that is not an excuse for the defensive performance against an offense that was significantly banged up. The biggest flaw on Sunday that needs to be addressed is the lack of success from the defensive line. The Bears only produced one sack on Brock Purdy and allowed replacement running back Isaac Guerendo to average over five yards per carry. With all three division opponents upcoming and all of them having above average running games, the defensive line is going to have to rise to the challenge under defensive coordinator Eric Washington.
Caleb continues to be sharp
While it is easy to remain negative following another loss, there are still some positives to take away from this game, and that is clearly the maturity and development of Caleb Williams. In fact, his development needs to be the primary focus for the last month of the season. Williams continues not to turn the ball over and makes good decisions with the ball in critical situations. Sunday’s game marked the seventh game in a row where Williams did not throw an interception. Also, he threw beautiful touchdown passes to Rome Odunze to give Bears fans a glimpse of hope into what should be a bright future between Williams and Odunze. The main concern for Williams continues to be the beating he takes every week. Another seven sacks were surrendered by the Bears on Sunday, making it the fifth game where Williams has been sacked five or more times. Protecting Williams has to be a major point of emphasis for general manager Ryan Poles this offseason in order to keep Williams healthy and allow him to blossom to his full potential as the franchise quarterback of the Chicago Bears.
Overall, this was another disappointment for the Bears organization and their fans, but there is some silver lining as the final month of the season approaches. The Bears have a head start on the biggest head coaching hire in the recent history of the franchise, and they get to see what their young superstar quarterback can do against all three division opponents once more before the season ends. It will also be exciting to see how Thomas Brown reacts and adjusts after an underwhelming debut as Bears’ interim head coach as he auditions for the permanent head coach position. While the season might feel lost at this point, Bears fans need to take a step back and view these last handful of games from a broader perspective with the future in the front of their minds.
