Three weeks ago, the Chicago Bears were within a mathematical chance of 96.8% of earning their fifth win and remain in the hunt in their highly competitive division race, the NFC North.
Didn’t happen.
Since they allowed their would-be fifth win to result in a third loss based on a Washington Commanders successful Hail Mary pass, the Bears prospects have gone as bleak as a fly taking on a windshield traveling 60 miles an hour on the 405.
Splat.
This week the Bears made the news in all the wrong ways. Internal conflict and the firing of their offensive coordinator, Shane Waldron, who had been entrusted, over some objection, to guide their prize rookie quarterback’s career out of the gate. For a number of weeks, the experiment with Waldron as offensive coordinator for the Calib Williams run offense seemed to be working. High expectations were met while the Bears picked up four wins in their first six games and stayed in the hunt with three proven quality teams in their division race, namely the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers.
Then came the showdown three weeks ago in Washington, where the top two quarterbacks taken in this year’s National Football League draft squared off in a much-anticipated contest. The Commanders had selected Jayden Daniels with the second overall-all pick after the Bears took Williams.
Daniels has been more spectacular than Williams, but both quarterbacks appeared to live up to their high draft status. The contest between them proved as close as projected and the Bears scored late to take a lead, and Daniels was left with only time for one last desperation play to save the Commanders day.
He scored.
The Hail Mary completion provided the sixth win this season for Dan Quinn’s suddenly good Commanders … the loss sent the Bears trajectory straight down. Since the loss in Washington, the Bears have dropped two more games by decisive scores. The Arizona Cardinals pinned Williams and company with a 29-9 setback and last week the New England Patriots dominated Chicago at Soldier Field while winning 19-3.
At the midpoint of the regular season, the Bears rank 24th in points scored and 30th in the 32-team league in both total yards and passing yards. Something had to give, so to keep his own job head coach Matt Eberflus tossed Waldron off his staff and put Thomas Brown in charge of Williams’ fate as an NFL quarterback.
Brown? Is this some sort of comedy at the Improv? Brown was in charge of launching Bryce Young’s career in Carolina last year, and we all know how that worked out, or didn’t, more accurately stated for last year’s first overall pick. Now they hand Brown another first overall quarterback choice in need of a revival. This is like calling an arsonist when a fire breaks out in your kitchen.
This week, the Bears will play a second straight home game off a home loss against a division opponent as an underdog. In normal times, with these set of circumstances, this would be a very good spot for the home team. But so was their chances of winning a fifth game with seconds left on the clock in Washington last month.
The Green Bay Packers are not going to be the Bears fifth victim this year, they have bigger challenges while dealing with the Lions and Vikings in their division race. The Bears, this week for Jordan Love and company, are little more than roadkill.
Qoxhi Picks: Green Bay Packers (-6) over Chicago Bears