Being only one of two winless teams after the first month of the 2023 season, the other being the Carolina Panthers, the Bears put an exclamation point on one of the lowest months in franchise history this past Sunday.
After being blown out 41-10 against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3, the Bears had a prime opportunity to get into the win column against a Denver Bronco squad who was not only winless themselves, but just gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins the same weekend.
Instead, the Bears blew a 28-7 lead with 4:11 left in the third quarter, losing 31-28. The Bears were a 98.1 percent favorite to win at that point, per the ESPN Gamecast probability tracker. The loss extended Chicago’s losing streak to 14 consecutive, and 17-of-18. What is more astonishing is that Chicago actually had a winning record of 2-1 before the futility began.
The Bears still have a long way to go to match Tampa Bay’s record of 26. Carolina is winless, as they are starting top-overall pick Bryce Young at quarterback, who missed a game and a half due to injury already. Fields ranks 28th of 33 starters this season in quarterback rating (35.7), which is a vast improvement from sitting dead last a week ago.
Chicago had over $100,000 worth of equipment stolen from Soldier Field a week ago, to add insult to injury. Defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned on September 20 to pile on. Williams went to the old “health and family concerns” card, while league and team sources indicate the “dismissal” was due to inappropriate activity.
On Sunday, the Bears had a 300+ yard passer in Fields (335 and four touchdowns), a 100-yard rusher in Khalil Herbert (103), and a 100-yard receiver in DJ Moore (eight catches for 131 and a touchdown). Chicago as a team had 471 yards of total offense, yet somehow still managed a way to aid in furthering the decay of their 99-year-old stadium.
Fields criticized the coaches leading up to the Kansas City game, while star receiver Chase Claypool did the same the day after. Claypool was told to stay home, which may have kept Denver at bay on Sunday. Claypool came to Chicago after a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to give Fields another explosive target. Instead, the Bears are currently looking for a trade partner of their own to send him right back out. This was the third time Claypool was inactive since being traded to Chicago, but the first for a non-injury issue.
With the season already lost, Chicago has two options remaining. One, try to aid in the maturation of Fields with the inferior talent they have put around him. Or two, see how much worse it can get before you take a hard look at supplanting Fields with USC’s Caleb Williams in next April’s draft.
Chicago is not in the habit of giving their head coaches ample time to work their way out of a rebuild. In fact, Lovie Smith is the longest-tenured Bears head coach this century, coaching from 2004-12. Marc Trestman got two years, John Fox and Matt Nagy were fired at the end of their third seasons. Matt Eberflus is 3-14 thus far, putting him on “hot seat” watch, while the leaves are still on the trees.
Right now, I would bet there are a fair number of Chicago football fans who would think a potential move to Hoffman Estates for a new stadium is not far enough to wash the smell of the on- and off-field product out of the air.
Thursday’s Week 5 matchup against the Washington Commanders will certainly be water cooler fodder going into the weekend…when the adults get to suit up.
-JC24
-JC24