The Bears have seen enough snafus and struggles to justify taking play-calling away from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, but coach Matt Eberflus said Monday he isn’t making that change.
“No,” he said flatly. “We’re looking to find answers, and that’s where we’re at collectively as a group, offense and defense, and we’ll go through that process here today, tomorrow and implement that plan on Wednesday.”
The team is coming off a 29-9 loss Sunday to the Cardinals, who entered the game having allowed the seventh-most points in the NFL. In 11 possessions, the Bears got three field goals and managed one drive that went beyond 35 yards. They also went 3-for-14 on third down against the worst third-down defense in the league.
Most concerning, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams does not appear to be progressing. After three strong games against three of the NFL’s worst defenses, he played poorly the last two weeks against the Commanders and Cardinals.
Williams completed 22 of 41 passes for 216 yards and a 68.9 passer rating Sunday. His 83.0 passer rating for the season ranks 26th in the NFL.
Because of the way the Bears structured their offensive staff this season, they have an experienced alternative in passing-game coordinator Thomas Brown, who was an offensive coordinator at the University of Miami and briefly last season for the Panthers.