In the hit TV show The Office, there is a scene where Stanley Hudson yells at his boss Michael Scott, "Every day you do something stupider than you did the day before, and I think 'there's no possible way he can top that'. But what do you do? You find a way to top it!"
That's how fans of the Chicago Bears, and even the NFL world in general now, probably feel about head coach Matt Eberflus. The Bears have lost six games in a row with each one seemingly worse than the last. The Hail Mary against Washington, the dud against New England and Arizona, the blocked field goal, the overtime collapse, and now allowing the clock to run down to zero while down three with a timeout still to use.
Essays could be written on the coaching malpractice shown by Eberflus on Thursday and over the last six weeks. Suffice it to say, there are no excuses for this. If it wasn't for an organizational commitment to not fire coaches midseason, it would be an easy bet that Eberflus will be gone tomorrow. Instead, Bears fans will have to sit through five more games of a lame duck coach, lamenting a lost season that very easily could have seen the Bears return to the playoffs, if only the coaching was adequate.
That said, let's get to the studs and duds.
Stud: Caleb Williams
I know Bears fans are sick of silver linings but this is still an important thing to remember: you have a franchise quarterback. Williams was exceptional in the second half, finishing the day with 256 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 of 39 passing, good for a 97.8 passer rating. He also made some big time plays on the ground, adding 39 yards rushing.
Caleb also set multiple records on Thursday. He now owns the NFL record for most consecutive passes without an interception for a rookie (212) and two franchise records with most passing yards (2,612) and most touchdowns (14) for a rookie. So hold the fort, Bears fans, a new coach will be coming next year and he will help Williams get you back to the Promised Land.
Dud: Cole Kmet
I love Kmet, but he was a big problem on offense today. He was flagged twice for offensive pass interference by running illegal bump routes. Sometimes receivers can get away with this but only if they sell it well. Kmet did not, and it was very obvious both times he intentionally ran into a defensive back. On both occasions, this wiped out a huge gain for the offense.
Stud: Tyrique Stevenson
Credit where credit is due. Stevenson's timely hit on Jahmyr Gibbs forced the fumble inside the redzone that the Bears recovered. A touchdown there probably would have changed the entire course of the game and left us without the heroics from Williams and others.
Dud: Matt Eberflus
I have no more words. I admit that in 2022, after Matt Nagy was fired, I was convinced that the Bears could not do worse than Nagy. How wrong I was because, if we're being honest with ourselves, Nagy would probably have this Bears team at 9-3 right now.
I don't care what it takes: either Ryan Poles or Kevin Warren need to beg George McCaskey for permission to fire the head coach tomorrow. It's not like they're short of qualified candidates to replace him.
Stud: Keenan Allen
Another two touchdown game for the six-time Pro Bowler. He was targeted 8 times and caught 5 passes for 73 yards.
