Matt Eberflus Found Another Way To Squander A Caleb Williams Comeback
Three times. Three times, Caleb Williams, who is a rookie, has led the Chicago Bears to a 4th quarter comeback this season. First was the game in Washington, where he engineered a go-ahead touchdown with 35 seconds left. The defense let the Commanders drive to midfield and complete a Hail Mary thanks to poor defensive execution. Three weeks later, Williams did it again, driving the Bears into field goal range with 25 seconds left, trailing 20-19. The kick was blocked. In each of those instances, head coach Matt Eberflus could be held directly responsible for the collapses.
Now we have a third.
Things looked bleak for the Bears late in the game against Minnesota. The Vikings held a 27-16 lead. It looked over. Once again, Williams refused to quit. He engineered a touchdown drive and two-point conversation to make it 27-24. Then an improbable onside kick gave him 21 seconds left to make some magic. A huge 27-yard completion to D.J. Moore set up Cairo Santos to force overtime. Despite everything, the Bears had another chance to win. Right on cue, Eberflus managed to squander it. The offense couldn’t manage a drive on their first chance of overtime. Still, the defense had a chance to return the favor.
What followed was one of the most horrifically called sequences of the season. At various points, the Vikings faced 2nd & 17, 3rd & 9, and 1st & 20. They still managed to convert first downs thanks in large part to constant soft coverage called by Eberflus.
Matt Eberflus was handed a lifeline by Williams and threw it away.
There is little argument left that the #1 overall pick is shaping up to become a true franchise quarterback for the Bears. He was brilliant for most of the game against the NFL’s #1 defense. He finished with 340 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. He put up 27 points. That should’ve been more than enough to win this game, considering Minnesota hadn’t scored that much in a month. So, of course, they put up 30 right when Eberflus’ vaunted defense needed to have a good game. If that doesn’t sum up this head coach, nothing will.
This doesn’t even mention the blocked field goal earlier in the game, in which Minnesota used the exact same strategy as Green Bay the week before. It is further proof that Matt Eberflus never learns from his mistakes. Good head coaches understand how to execute in crunch time. Instead, this is the 18th one-score game the Bears have dropped with him in charge. There is nothing else to see here. Eberflus has no more excuses. He got a better quarterback. He switched offensive coordinators twice and had his defense loaded up with young talent.
Losers lose.