Key takeaways from the Bears’ humiliating loss to Lions in Week 11

The Chicago Bears were less than a minute away from pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the season in Week 11 against the Detroit Lions. But, in typical Bears fashion, they let a 12-point lead slip away with 4:20 left to play in the game.

The Bears lost, 31-26.

And it was former Bears running back David Montgomery who punched in the winning touchdown with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Poetic justice?

It was a punch in the gut to Bears fans who thought Chicago would finally have a two-game winning streak and a long-overdue win against an NFC North opponent. The Bears were that dominant. They should’ve won the game.

But it wasn’t meant to be. And it’s frustrating, the Bears outplayed the Lions for almost four quarters. Justin Fields looked great. The defense flustered Lions quarterback Jared Goff into three interceptions. There was virtually nothing the Lions’ offense could do against Matt Eberflus’ defense, but the Bears choked when it mattered most.

Sure, Chicago is now 3-8, and there’s no reason why Bears fans should’ve expected a win on Sunday. But this loss stings. The Bears had an opportunity to announce to the league that their rebuild was working. That it’s only a matter of time before they’re among the winning teams jockeying for playoff seeding again. That, perhaps, they were the Lions in waiting.

Alas, they Flus’d it.

Here are the key takeaways from Week 11’s loss to the Lions.

Justin Fields played winning football in Week 11

Don’t blame Justin Fields for this loss. He was the main reason the Bears had a chance to pull off the upset win over the Lions.

Fields was fantastic and showed all the reasons why it’s ridiculous to think the Bears will bail on him and use one of their two 2024 first-round picks on a quarterback. He completed 16 of 23 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown and ran 18 times for 104 yards. There was … literally … nothing more he could do. His touchdown pass to DJ Moore … a 39-yard strike … was a thing of beauty, and he led Chicago to a two-score lead late in the fourth quarter.

“Man he played really well,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Fields after the game. “Really well. He’s a hell of an athlete. He’s tough. He causes issues.”

The naysayers will argue that Fields couldn’t close out the game. That he doesn’t play with the killer instinct the great quarterbacks posses. But that’s nonsense, he can only run the plays that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called.

Getsy was a cowardly lion in Detroit on Sunday.

The Bears aren’t losing games because of Justin Fields. He’s the best player on the roster. Period.

Bears” defense almost had its breakthrough game

We were so close to a breakthrough game for Matt Eberflus” defense. The Bears totaled four turnovers (three INTs and a fumble recovery), making the Lions’ offense look pedestrian. The pass rush had two sacks, including Montez Sweat’s first as a Bear. It was fun to watch and brought back memories of the dominant Chicago Bears defenses of the past.

But then it happened. Eberflus’ conservative playcalling allowed Goff to get into a rhythm and find open receivers in Chicago’s soft coverage late in the game, leading to two touchdowns in less than five minutes. The Bears’ defense lost the game, and when that happens, the buck stops with Eberflus, the defense’s play-caller.

Watching the Bears allow the Lions to slice through their defense like warm butter on their final two possessions of the game was maddening. It could drive the most sane Bears fan crazy, assuming there are any sane Bears fans left.

“The disappointment was the finish,” Eberflus said after the game.

You got that right, coach.

Bears’ free-agent investments paid off

Flipping back to the positive for a second, the Chicago Bears’ decision to spend big money on linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and TJ Edwards may have been a smart move after all.

The linebacker tandem had a productive day against the Lions, combining for 17 tackles and two interceptions.

Sure, it would’ve been nice for one of them to step up and deny Detroit on either of their final two scoring drives, but hey, you can’t have everything, right?

It’s time to take a long, hard look at Matt Eberflus

I like Matt Eberflus. I really do. I think he’s a good guy. He’s a football guy. An “ole ball coach. He knows the game, can speak football, and is a good teacher. But that doesn’t mean he’s a good head coach.

Teams take on the personality of their coach. The Bears” Week 11 opponent showed that on Sunday. The Lions didn’t quit. They fought like Dan Campbell in a back alley for four quarters, and at the end of the game, they delivered the knockout punch.

The Bears, meanwhile, looked timid and too afraid of making a mistake. They weren’t aggressive, there was no big hit or momentum-shifting play on defense. Chicago sat back and let the Lions’ offense come to them … literally … until they were in the end zone.

Eberflus now has a 6-22 record since taking over as Bears coach in 2022. He has the worst winning percentage of any head coach in team history. He hasn’t won a game in the NFC North, and he hasn’t had back-to-back victories since being in town.

That’s embarrassing.

At some point, team president Kevin Warren has to come to his senses and realize that this roster has talent. It has a spectacularly talented quarterback with playmakers around him on offense. The offensive line has promising young starters, and the defense is effective when given a chance to make plays.

But those coaches? Led by Eberflus? Yeah, they’re the problem. They’ve been the problem since the season kicked off, and they continue to be the problem through a fourth-quarter collapse that may be the defining lowlight in Eberflus’ tenure with the Bears.

It’s time for a change, and not at quarterback. It’s time for the Chicago Bears to make the difficult decision to part ways with a good guy, to say thank you for your service, but you’re no longer needed here.

It’s time to say goodbye to Matt Eberflus and put the football world on notice that the Bears are in the market for a new head coach.

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