No matter how hot coach Matt Eberflus’ seat gets, he always has had one thing in his favor. Unlike Matt Nagy before him, he at least has gotten his side of the ball right.
With a helping hand from general manager Ryan Poles, Eberflus impressively has rebuilt the Bears’ defense almost from scratch. The Bears were last in the NFL in points allowed in Eberflus’ first season in 2022 — the result of a necessary roster teardown. But they were 20th last season with obvious in-season growth. The Bears were 31st in the NFL after four games in 2023 (34.3 points allowed per game) but sixth in the last 13 games (18.6).
The addition of defensive end Montez Sweat in Week 9 played a key role in that improvement, but he was only the final piece. With Sweat, the Bears had playmakers at all three levels. Jaylon Johnson, a good player with one interception in his first three seasons, seemed to be overselling himself when he said he was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. But then he went out and proved it, earning All-Pro honors in 2023.
The Bears had overachievers such as defensive tackle Andrew Billings and linebacker T.J. Edwards. And young, productive players with room for growth — safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Kyler Gordon and defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.
The Bears boldly aimed to be a top-five defense this season. They were fourth in the NFL in points allowed through eight weeks (17.0 per game) and had allowed 21 points or fewer in 13 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL.
But that ended last week, when the Bears allowed 29 points (27 by the defense) against the Cardinals. After allowing six rushing touchdowns in the first seven games, the Bears’ defense allowed three in the first half against the Cardinals.
It was only one game, but it shed more light on the Bears’ seasonlong issue with their run defense. And injuries are taking a toll. Sweat (shin), Gordon (hamstring) and Brisker (concussion) did not play against the Cardinals. Billings, the team’s best run-stopper, left in the third quarter with a season-ending torn pectoral muscle.
Sweat and Gordon are expected to return Sunday against the Patriots, but there’s some shoring up to do. The last thing Eberflus needs now is for his defense to falter. The Bears, who were fifth in the NFL in total defense with 292.0 yards allowed per game, allowed 481 yards against the Commanders and 350 against the Cardinals to fall to 12th overall.
Their rushing defense, which was a disappointing 11th through seven weeks after leading the NFL in that category last year, has dropped to 20th after allowing 168 yards against the Commanders and 213 against the Cardinals. That included the embarrassing lapse on Cardinals running back Emari Demercado’s 53-yard touchdown run with four seconds left in the first half.
“We’re getting out-executed, plain and simple. Myself included,” Edwards said. “We have to do a better job as a unit to stop this run, so we can get quarterbacks to third down and make them beat us. I truly believe our back seven is one of the best in the league, and if we get them in good field positions, we’ll win.”
Shane Waldron’s offense — and the growth of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in particular — figures to determine Eberflus’ fate after this season.
But it’s unlikely the Bears are going to start winning shootouts when the NFC North gauntlet begins. If it comes down to wins and losses, Eberflus’ defense could make the difference.