There is plenty to blame for the shocking fashion in which the Chicago Bears lost to the Washington Commanders in Week 8.
Jayden Daniels' Hail Mary touchdown pass to the wide receiver Noah Brown is the play that will be played on an endless loop for highlight shows across the country on Monday.
It's been easy to point the finger at Bears' second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Throughout the entire game, Stevenson seemed to be letting his emotions get the best of him and it cost the Bears.
There's no defense of Stevenson's antics but beyond that, the blame needs to fall at the feet of Matt Eberflus. Eberflus essentially gave Daniels and the Commanders' offense a free 13 yards when the Bears were in prevent-defense on the second-to-last play of the game. The 13-yard pass to Terry McLaurin made the Hail Mary attempt possible. But, even after that play, Eberflus had timeouts at his disposal that could've been used to ensure the Bears' defense was ready. Instead, Eberflus let the end of the game continue without any reset.
Even on the defense of the Hail Mary, Jaylon Johnson was the only cornerback who was boxing out on the play. There was no one in the back of the end zone to protect against the very thing that happened--a wide receiver catching a batted ball for the touchdown. The Bears' defense against the Hail Mary is exactly what shouldn't have happened.
It's no wonder NFL coaches are already ripping Matt Eberflus' coaching effort.
There was plenty to criticize on defending the Hail Mary, and as one head coach texted me: “We will be showing film of that play to our team today to show what not to do."
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) October 28, 2024
Above all else, Sunday's showing was more proof that Eberflus can not be the head coach of a football that has expectations of winning. There have been countless times where Eberflus' coaching has failed to live up to the moment and there is no end in sight for that dreadful reality.