Stock up, Stock down after Bears loss to Lions |
It is no surprise Chicago lost against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving. How they lost is another story and ultimately it was enough for head coach Matt Eberflus to lose his job. Interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is now the interim head coach and will coach his first game on Sun. Dec. 8 against the San Francisco 49ers (3:25 p.m. / FOX).
Eberflus was getting fired. It was not a matter of “if” he would get fired; it was a matter of whether it would be before the season ended or not. General manager Ryan Poles and the rest of the front office answered that question the day after the game, marking the first time in franchise history the Chicago Bears fired a coach mid-season. There has been a lot of dysfunction during Eberflus’ tenure, and it was about time it came to an end. This was the best move for the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Furthermore, it allows them to see what Thomas Brown can do as head coach, especially because he will be a candidate for the opening in January. One caveat to the front office's stock being up—with all of their past mistakes, their stock is still not very high. They have made so many mistakes in the past that any little thing they do that seems like a logical decision is a victory. It was time for Eberflus to be fired.
For the third straight week, the offense has been productive. It took until the second half against Detroit, but they made the game competitive, and it came down to the wire once again. Williams has put up some good numbers in those games, while veteran receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen are getting the ball more. Overall, the offense has been better, and it will be interesting to see how the team plays with Brown as head coach when they face the 49ers.
You would not know it by Chicago’s record, but Williams has been playing very well. He faced Brian Flores and the blitz-heavy Minnesota Vikings defense and led the league in passing yards that week with 340 yards. On a short week, he faced the Lions defense and threw three touchdowns. The sack numbers are not pretty as he is leading the league in both sacks (49) and sack yards (331), but that is more a reflection of the offensive line than him. His sack on the second-to-last play of the game against Detroit was a smart decision because if he tried to throw it away, he would risk a fumble or grounding penalty. Williams recognized that, showing an increasing understanding of situational football. This season may not have a lot of promise, but the years beyond this one do because of Williams.
Sticking with the offense, running back D’Andre Swift has been a disappointment. He seems to be the one starting skill player who has not improved since Brown became the offensive play-caller. Swift only has 69 rushing yards in the last two games combined. Against Detroit, he had 39 rushing yards despite playing 69 percent of the snaps, the third-highest percentage of offensive snaps played by Swift all season. He was a free-agency mistake, especially with running backs like Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry still available. For the record, Henry has the same average salary as Swift at $8 million.
Everyone knew Detroit would try to run the ball on the Bears because Chicago could not defend the run. Both star Detroit running backs Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery had over 80 yards on the ground and were involved in the passing game. Particularly in the first half, they were a problem for the Bears. While the defense as a whole was better in the second half, the run defense is still a huge concern going forward. Especially after defensive lineman Andrew Billings went down, Chicago has had difficulty stopping the run. In the offseason and the NFL Draft, the Bears need to look for an interior lineman who can stop the run.Front Office - Stock Up
Thomas Brown - Stock Up
Caleb Williams - Stock Up
D’Andre Swift - Stock Down
Run Defense - Stock Down
