It’s hard to remember now, but the Chicago Bears were one play away from a 5-2 start last season. That’s when Jayden Daniels connected on a Hail Mary that broke Chicago’s heart and Matt Eberflus’ brain. The Bears head coach refused to take accountability for his soft coverages on the final drive after the loss, and the rest of the season proved he also refused to learn anything about how to adequately manage the end of a game.
The Hail Mary started a 10-game losing streak that got so embarrassing for the Bears that it forced ownership to fire a head coach in season for the first time ever. Chicago has seen many bad offenses before, but Eberflus’ incompetence went so far beyond that: his clock management was atrocious, his decision-making in key moments was inscrutable, and he was the absolute worst judge of how to use a challege flag in football. The Bears went 14-32 under his watch, killing the optimism around one talented QB prospect and starting the cycle of doubt about another in the process.
The Bears moved on by hiring Ben Johnson over the offseason, while Eberflus accepted a demotion back to defensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys. Just went it felt like both sides had turned the page, a scathing three-part series attacking QB Caleb Williams dropped days before the season started that was fully sourced by former Eberflus staff members with an axe to grind against their former rookie quarterback.
Chicago didn’t need any extra motivation as Eberflus returned to Soldier Field in Week 3 against the Cowboys, not when it was already 0-2 and coming off an absolute smacking by the Detroit Lions a week earlier. If anything, the Bears should have seen Eberflus’ return as an opportunity. Dallas had just allowed 450 yards and three touchdowns to 36-year-old Russell Wilson, and the Bears knew first-hand how Eberflus’ patented zones had a way of getting struggling offenses back in a rhythm.
The Bears blasted the Cowboys, 31-14, to get the first win of the Ben Johnson era in front of the man he replaced. Eberflus was incapable of getting Williams going as his head coach, but facing his defense was exactly what the young QB needed for arguably the best game of his career.
Williams finished with 298 yards passing with four touchdowns, no interceptions, and for the first time in his career — no sacks. Johnson chose Chicago over interest from other teams because he wanted to work with the 2024 No. 1 overall draft pick, and they made magic together all afternoon against Eberflus’ defense:
Williams struggled with his accuracy in the Bears’ Week 1 meltdown against the Vikings, and it was hard to get too excited about his improved play in Week 2 as Lions stomped Chicago. What was so impressive about how he led the Bears’ offense against the Cowboys is just how easy everything looked: receivers were running open all afternoon, Williams calmly evaded any pressure, and it felt like an explosive play was always around the corner. Maybe it’s no surprise that his get-right game happened against the same defense he saw in practice every day last year, and one that’s especially ineffective without a proven pass rusher like the one the Cowboys just shipped out.
Williams looked like a QB who knew exactly where the soft pockets were against the Eberflus zone, and this time he (mostly) delivered the ball on time and on target.
You can debate whether Williams deserved to be called a generational talent as a prospect. What can’t be denied is that he was the consensus No. 1 pick in his draft class for two full years, even in a great QB class that saw six signal callers go in the top 12. Under Eberflus, Williams looked constantly frazzled as he was sacked a league-high 68 times behind a porous offensive line. There were shades of the playmaking and arm talent that made him such a highly-touted prospect, but it was hard to truly evaluate him when the coaching and offensive line were both terrible.
Now that Johnson has his hands on Williams, Chicago is already seeing the rocket arm and slippery creation ability that made him so promising.
The Bears still have a long way to go, but there are real signs of growth that just weren’t there last season. Doing it against the same blundering coach that restricted progress last year just makes it feel even better.
The Cowboys’ bad defense certainly isn’t all Eberflus’ fault. He thought he’d be coaching Micah Parsons this year; without him, Dallas now has one of the most limp pass rushes in the league. The Cowboys just don’t have the horses on defense right now even if their scheme was airtight.
The Bears will take a win anyway it can get one. Chicago looks like it actually has an explosive offense right now, with a highly-touted QB making high-level throws and an offensive mastermind head coach drawing up some brilliant plays. If only for a week, the Matt Eberflus era never felt so far away.
