Chicago Bears Week 8 takeaways emphasize long-term optimism amidst short-term pain

Takeaway 3: The worst concerns/fears about the Bears' coaching staff were confirmed

So far, this article has highlighted the positives that can be taken out of the Bears' game against the Commanders. However, there's been an important caveat attached: the hail mary notwithstanding. It's important to still emphasize that while there are positive takeaways/trends, there is a glaring red flag on this Bears team that put a cap on how far this team can go this season, and the conceded hail mary is those concerns being realized in the worst possible fashion.

Ask any Bears fan and they'll mention that there were unknowns with Eberflus coming back as head coach. Scarred by the constant turnover and lack of sync between front office, coach, and quarterback, a huge question this season is whether Matt Eberflus would shake the 'lame duck' label he came in with.

The first three games told a similar story to the first two years. A defense that plays hard but a lack of touch on the offensive side and questionable decisions cost the team wins. Then, the next 3 games gave everyone the cope they wanted to start buying back into Eberflus and this coaching staff. Everyone knew though, that they still needed to be tested, but those worries were buried deep as we all relished in the Bears' success and the cumulative realization that they might finally have their quarterback.

Then, Sunday happened. The Chicago Bears did not just lose to the Washington Commanders on Sunday. They lost to the coach that they could have hired in 2022 when Dan Quinn was a co-finalist with Matt Eberflus. Adding salt to the wound, they also lost to the play-caller, Kliff Kingsbury, who they could have paired with Caleb Williams in his rookie season. Instead, through eight weeks, the Commanders look well on their way to pushing for a division crown with a rookie quarterback well on his way to winning Rookie of the Year, while the Bears are once again left picking up the pieces.

This game confirmed the voice every Bears fan had deep down telling them that this coaching might not be good enough to truly contend in this division, let alone this conference, and put the pressure squarely back on this organization to prove that sticking with a head coach in his lame duck year was anything more than not wanting to pay for a new head coach when one was still under contract.

This Bears coaching regime has preached accountability and taking ownership, and while this locker room is full of elite mentalities that any fanbase should be proud of, there is something to be said for how they hold their coaches accountable in public while their coaches refuse any accountability themselves as they continue to preach an emphasis on execution.

Kevin Byard, like 99% of football fans, also had questions about the Bears' philosophy going into the last 20 seconds of the game. As a player, he couldn't have the final say, which worked out unfortunately for the Bears as it probably made the difference in the game.

Then there's Jaylon Johnson, wishing the Bears' coaches had taken one of their three remaining timeouts just to settle everyone down and reinforce everyone's role in this situation. This isn't a play that is routinely practiced at full speed due to injury concerns, and with two backup defensive backs in due to injury, this is just another example of where coaching miscues cost the Bears a game they should have won.