Sunday was not the return to Indianapolis that Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus envisioned.
Instead of winning against his former team, the Indianapolis Colts got their first victory of the season, winning 21-16 over Eberflus and the Bears. It was an ugly game, and the Colts almost gave it away to the Bears.
Once again, Shane Waldron's play-calling deserves scrutiny. The Bears made Caleb Williams throw 52 times. Once again, the offense failed to establish the run. Williams threw 33 of 52 for 363 yards and 2 touchdown passes, but he also threw 2 interceptions and was sacked 4 times.
But Williams was not the reason why the Bears lost. It was coaching malpractice that undid them starting with Waldron. The Bears trailed 7-0 but they had the ball inside the Colts' 4-yard line with a chance to tie the game before halftime. The Bears ran the ball three straight times with Khalil Herbert to get to the Colts' 1-yard line. Facing a critical 4th down, the Bears ran a quarterback speed option with D'Andre Swift catching the ball from Williams but ended up losing 12 yards.
That inexplicable playing calling was pretty much why the Bears lost on Sunday. The players' frustration about that play and the run game was not lost on them after the game.
#Bears center Coleman Shelton when asked about the breakdown on the fourth-and-1 play.
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) September 22, 2024
"Well, I mean, speed option on, you know, obviously wasn’t the greatest look to run that." pic.twitter.com/uyhtoJYrAV
Matt Eberflus is in danger of losing the locker room.
"I'm not going to sugarcoat it, it's high."
— Marquee Bears (@BearsMarquee) September 22, 2024
D'Andre Swift on his frustration with the Bears running game. pic.twitter.com/1xlCGADftM
The most disturbing thing about that play was the stark difference between how the players and Eberflus viewed it. Eberflus spoke about how they liked that call and blamed it on the execution. Stop me if you heard that before. It is the same stuff we heard from him every post-game last season following a loss. The discourse will only grow and get worse between the players and coaching staff.
The game was filled with multiple decisions from Eberflus that didn't make sense. After the Bears scored their first touchdown to cut the lead to 14-9, the Bears wasted a timeout, which Eberflus blamed on everyone for lack of communication. A head coach in his third season is still having communication issues? Or why the Bears did not try an onside kick following Cole Kmet's touchdown with 2:01 left in the game?
After another inept offensive performance, the Bears coaching staff now deserves to be put on notice. Even the optimistic fans are tired of the excuses, and they should not be fooled by the positives Eberflus saw on Sunday.
The common denominator in the problems the Bears have right now is Eberflus. He remains the worst head coach in the division. His record is now 11-26 after Sunday's loss.