Prior to the 2024-25 NFL season, there was a sense that this Chicago Bears team would be different. The additions of Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze presented promising signs that a new era was coming, or at the very least, an improvement from the 7-10 record from last season.
However, after a strong first six games to open the year, one that saw them cruise to a 4-2 record, the season has taken a sharp turn in recent weeks. This has led popular NFL commentator Dan Patrick to give a stark assessment of the team’s performance and culture.
Who Is To Blame for the Bears’ Struggles?
On his show, he stated how the Bears are “not a good team, they’ll have a new coach next season, their QB has not played well, he’s been outplayed by at least two fellow rookie QBs and maybe three.”
"There's too much attention directed towards the Bears. They're not a good team, they'll have a new coach next season, their QB has not played well, he's been out played by at least two fellow rookie QBs and maybe 3."
-DP on the #Bears pic.twitter.com/Oeplke75Fb
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) November 18, 2024
As Patrick alludes to in his comments, head coach Matt Eberflus is the individual who deserves a large part of the criticism to this point. One would only need to review the tape from the Bears’ Week 8 loss to the Washington Commanders to see how Eberflus has struggled in the big moment.
On offense late in the fourth quarter, Eberflus made a baffling decision to run a goal-line play with offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. instead of handing the ball off to Swift from inside the 5-yard line.
In addition, on the defensive side of the ball in the same game, Eberflus played soft defensive coverage when attempting to hold a late lead, something that easily allowed Washington to get into range for a Hail Mary attempt. These decisions have raised questions about the ability of Eberflus to coach in the big moment and has opened the door to criticism.
HAIL NOAH!!!!!!!!!!
📺 #CHIvsWAS CBS pic.twitter.com/nRr3sIF17K
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) October 27, 2024
How Much Blame Does Caleb Williams Deserve?
While Eberflus is responsible for some of the problems this season, the Bears have also dealt with a rookie quarterback who has struggled with the speed of the NFL. During an interview with Rich Eisen, Albert Breer detailed how Williams has found it difficult adjusting his cadence and making quick decisions at the line of scrimmage during games.
Why has Caleb Williams struggled as much as he has this season? Did #DaBears let him down or is it something he's doing?#NFL #GBvsCHI pic.twitter.com/iWs3scM8fk
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) November 14, 2024
As a result of this, Williams has, at times, looked overwhelmed and held on to the ball for far too long, something that has resulted in him leading the league as the most sacked quarterback. If you look at Pro Football Network’s proprietary Quarterback+ metric, Williams has not fared well this year.
The Bears QB currently has a D- grade this year, which places him 35th out of 38 qualifying quarterbacks. He is behind names like Will Levis, Gardner Minshew, and even the recently benched Daniel Jones.
Though the Bears are definitely not planning on moving off Williams next season, the underlying statistics agree with Dan Patrick in believing that major change is coming to Chicago.