3 takeaways from the Bears’ embarrassing Week 10 loss to the Patriots

Just when Chicago Bears fans thought the 2024 season had hit rock bottom after losing two straight games in gut-wrenching fashion (for very different reasons), the bottom completely fell out from underneath Matt Eberflus, Shane Waldron, and the entire organization.

The Bears lost to the two-win Patriots in lopsided fashion in Week 10. The 19-3 final score was actually closer than the game ever felt, which is a shocking outcome considering how much confidence and optimism was building in Chicago just a few weeks ago.

Did the Week 8 Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders really put a hex on the rest of the season? It certainly feels that way. The Bears have been outscored 48-12 in the two games since, Caleb Williams and the offense haven’t mustered a touchdown, and the defense isn’t playing with nearly as much ferocity.

Did Eberflus lose the lockerroom? Is the 2024 season really over already?

Here are my biggest takeaways following Week 10’s loss.

Matt Eberflus is on life support

The Chicago Bears don’t fire coaches during the season. We all know this by now. But the Bears also haven’t had as much riding on a regular season as they do this year. The development of Caleb Williams, the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is the only goal that matters. And if Eberflus and his coaching staff are stunting that development, they have to go.

The last three weeks suggest they are. Eberflus has had many chances this season to make a change at offensive coordinator. He’s chosen loyalty over logic, and we’re beginning to see its negative impact on Williams.

There’s no denying that Williams has regressed over the last three games. Sure, he hasn’t thrown any interceptions, but he’s also taking sacks and beginning to see ghosts — two things that can eventually break a quarterback.

Williams’ passer rating over the last three games — 59.5, 68.9, 63.2 — should sound the alarm inside Halas Hall. And if GM Ryan Poles and the other executives charged with protecting the future of this franchise really want to do just that, they need to break from tradition and move on from Eberflus now.

Shane Waldron needs to go

As much as I think the Bears have to make a change at the top of the coaching staff, I don’t think they will. At least, not yet. They’ll probably give Eberflus a chance to prove he can right the ship, and the only place to start is on offense and the termination of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.

The Bears’ offense has once again become the laughingstock of the NFL over the last three games, and the fact that Waldron couldn’t string together a sequence of play calls that challenged the lowly Patriots at any point in Week 10 should seal his fate.

And, not for nothing, it’s hard to cheer for the guy when he seems so out of touch with his players.

Zoomed in. Caleb Williams and all Bear fan do not like Shane Waldron. pic.twitter.com/05MyBdccup

— ? ?? ?? ? (@_MarcusD3_) November 11, 2024

Caleb Williams isn’t the problem

It’s tough being a Bears fan on social media these days, isn’t it? The anti-Caleb cult is out in full force, and it’s unfortunate. That said, it isn’t surprising.

Williams was sacked nine times by the Patriots and is on pace to be sacked the second-most times in NFL history this season. There’s no better way to ruin a young quarterback’s career than to have him get abused in the pocket, and Williams is suffering that abuse on a weekly basis.

The Bears fielded a pair of backup tackles and a patchwork interior along the offensive line against New England. The fact that Williams left the game healthy should be viewed by all Bears fans as a win, even if he only threw for 120 yards.

I get it. We all wanted to see Williams take the NFL by storm. And, for a stretch of three games (before the Hail Mary meltdown), he was trading in that direction.

Do me a favor: Don’t blame Caleb. Watch the film. You’ll see he’s far from being the offense’s biggest problem, even if he hasn’t been perfect.

Say a prayer (just not a Hail Mary)

The Chicago Bears look terrible. And they’re about to run into the buzzsaw that is the NFC North. The Packers, Vikings, and Lions (on Thanksgiving) are up next, and if the temperature around Eberflus and the entire organization wasn’t hot already, it’s about to get nuclear.

It’s one thing to get embarrassed by the Cardinals and Patriots. But if the Packers come to Soldier Field and whoop the Bears? We’ll all be moving on to the 2025 NFL Draft.