Starting off 0-4 has been an absolute disaster for the Chicago Bears. Still, this team somehow manages to take the bad and make it even worse. In a season where the list of issues is long, what are some of the worst things to happen to this team?
5. The Chicago Bears offensive line has remained a disaster
On the field, the biggest issue has been the offensive line. Justin Fields may not be the franchise guy, but he also can make plays at times. The offensive line has had every possible disaster happen.
At left tackle, they are onto Larry Borom because Braxton Jones is on the season-ending IR. Jones was in a huge year where the team needed to decide on his starting status moving forward, and now the Bears and Jones will enter the offseason with huge questions.
Left guard had Teven Jenkins landing on the IR, so it moved center Cody Whitehair over to the left side. He has been awful, but this one could have been expected. The same can be said for Lucas Patrick, who is a disaster. Right guard had an unexpected twist when Nate Davis had awful family news come about.
Injuries to Jones and Jenkins, plus Davis having such a personal issue come about, could not be expected. However, the team did not provide adequate depth and allowed this to blow up in their faces due to all of the shuffling pieces. We will never know how good this line could have been with Jones and Jenkins healthy and Davis back into the flow of things.
4. Justin Fields had two game winning drives and no wins for the Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears were blown out of two games this season. The team also had two chances to win games at the last second, and they failed. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears got backed up toward their own end zone, and a failed screen call led to a pick-six by Justin Fields.
Then, the Bears had a chance to beat the Denver Broncos, in fact, multiple. First, Fields was strip-sacked to tie the game. Then, he actually did lead his team down the field, but a failed fourth-down attempt gave the Broncos the ball back in a tie game.
In both scenarios, it is easy to blame the play calling, the line, and factors other than Justin Fields. However, Fields has had chances to win games and be that person and has never taken advantage. Whether it was the Falcons or Dolphins last year, or the two chances this year, he has had chances to turn losses into wins. They do not happen enough. So, for as much talent as Fields has, and in the right system, he can keep teams in the game, but for now, he has not had that moment that shows he can win games in the NFL.
3. Alan Williams is no longer the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator
This feels so long ago now, but that is just a sad indictment of what this season is. The Chicago Bears have now gone three games without a defensive coordinator. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was a subtle surprise, but against the Chiefs and the Broncos, the team was prepared for this. Still, the news is shocking.
We will not speculate why Williams moved on, but the timing is bizarre, to say the least. It left the team having to make major changes on the fly without much time to prepare. So far, it has not led to good results.
Matt Eberflus is now calling the defense, and he looks over his head. Eberflus has always said he wanted to be the CEO and not focus too much on one unit. However, now that he is calling plays, he has to focus more on the defensive side. He said that this has not impacted how much time he dedicates to overseeing the entire operation, but that has to be a lie. Or, he is not spending nearly enough time on defense, because the job that Williams had cannot just be replaced by someone who spends half of his time with the offense, and the other half over seeing things. Who is actually coordinating this defense, or is Eberflus losing his role as the CEO?
2. Justin Fields has already had to walk back comments in the media
Another season with another disaster stemming from media comments. Justin Fields already came out and said that the coaching was causing him issues and then immediately walked it back. Still, it is hard to misinterpret what he said.
It is fair to say that he blamed himself, and said he needs to not focus on the coaching and just play loose. However, that is still saying that the coaching is overbearing. It may be right, but at the time and place, it came off excuse-making. That is why Fields had to immediately come out and walk that back.
The aftermath was not pretty either. The forced social media moments between him and Luke Getsy would have been cool if the Kansas City Chiefs did not go out there and shut the two of them down right after. The Bears' offense found some life against the Broncos, but they may not see defenses as bad again.
The whole situation and the blame game are so typical for Chicago. When you cannot tell if it is the quarterback or the offensive coordinator, it is probably both.
1. The Chase Claypool drama is another disaster for this Chicago Bears team
Add Chase Claypool to the list of drama that the Chicago Bears have had going all year. Claypool has been a disaster from the start. He was slow to pick up the playbook, which was an issue his first year. Then, during his second year, he essentially never got off the ground. Claypool missed most of the offseason with minor injuries and then was a joke on the field during week one.
He was better in week two, as in he was not the worst player in the NFL, but after week three, the Chicago Bears decided to make him inactive. Now, he is out for week five, and it is hard to see him on the team, or at least not playing for them again this season.
Do the Chicago Bears cut him? Can they trade him? What happens now? Even worse is how Matt Eberflus has responded to this. He has not been clear at all and has been caught in lies. He is losing the trust of the fanbase, as nothing he says comes true. Whether Ryan Poles stays or not, we will see, but Eberflus seems like his days are numbered, and Claypool is already gone. What a disaster.