Sunday, December 22, 2024

Bears coach Matt Eberflus vows ‘changes and adjustments’ a day after loss to Patriots prompted fan calls for his firing

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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus vowed “changes and adjustments” on Monday, a day after announcing that “we’ll look at everything” following a 19-3 loss at home to the New England Patriots.

Eberflus declined to expound on those “changes and adjustments,” explaining that “we’re in the process of that.”

“We’re less than 24 hours after the game,” Eberflus said. “We’re in the process of that. … Again, there’s gotta be a change and adjustment to what we’re doing because we obviously lost three in a row. …

“There will be changes, adjustments being made. I’m not gonna disclose those right now. I’m not at that point in the process.”

Eberflus clarified that rookie Caleb Williams will continue as Chicago’s starting quarterback.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus vowed changes on Monday but wasn't ready to make a specific call. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Bears coach Matt Eberflus vowed changes on Monday but wasn’t ready to make a specific call. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Eberflus was asked on Sunday about potentially moving on from moving on from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. He responded on Sunday that “we’ll look at everything” but declined to talk about potential specific personnel changes.

When pressed on Monday about Waldron and other potential changes, Eberflus again declined to discuss specifics while declaring “everything’s on the table.” He also declined to offer a timeline other than “fairly quick.”

“Monday’s a long day in terms of the evaluation of everything, in terms of lineup, in terms of coaching in terms of how we need to do better in that coaching,” Eberflus said Monday. … “It’s important that we take time to make those decisions and make the right decisions for the Bears.”

The loss to New England inspired boos and “fire Flus” chants from the Soldier Field crowd and marked a new low for a Bears offense that’s struggled in recent weeks and hasn’t scored a touchdown in eight consecutive quarters.

The Bears totaled 142 yards of offense against New England with 69 passing yards and 73 yards on the ground. Williams was sacked nine times for a loss of 51 yards.

The Bears converted just one of 14 third-down attempts and tallied 11 total first downs for the game. They punted eight times and turned the ball over twice on downs on their final two possessions. Their longest drive of the second half went for 20 yards. They did this against a Patriots defense that entered Sunday ranked 25th in the league.

Chicago ranks 30th in the league in offense following Sunday’s loss.

The Bears averaged 31.7 points per game in a three-game winning streak against the Rams, Panthers and Patriots in Weeks 4-6. Since a Week 7 bye, they’ve lost three straight games and totaled two touchdowns while averaging nine points per game.

Williams has regressed and hasn’t thrown a touchdown in the three-game losing streak, prompting concerns about his development after the Bears used the No. 1 pick in the draft to select him. Eberflus said on Monday that Williams’ confidence level is “high.”

Sunday’s loss dropped the Bears to 4-5. They’ve yet to face an NFC North opponent and begin a three-game divisional stretch on Sunday against the Packers followed by games against the Vikings and Lions. They’ll face each NFC North rival again in addition to the 49ers and Seahawks in the final five games of the season.

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