CHICAGO — The Bears were due. The Bears are still due.
For some late-game luck. For a win.
For a few minutes Sunday, it sure seemed like they were going to be rewarded for recent heartbreak with a little good fortune.
The Bears scored a touchdown and a two-point conversion. They recovered an onside kick. They got a big play to get into field goal territory. Their tying field goal wasn’t blocked. They even won the coin toss for overtime.
Bears recover the onside kick!
📺: #MINvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/3JVpREri2f— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
The vibes had shifted in a dramatic way at Soldier Field. A good chunk of the crowd had already left, but those who remained were delirious with what they were witnessing. The impartial observers in the press box were in disbelief. We’ve gotten used to the Bears losing in dramatic fashion, but what if they could win that way too? What would that be like?
Maybe we’ll never know. Certainly, it feels like we won’t find out this season.
The moment was fleeting. Overtime arrived and reality returned to the lakefront. Caleb Williams got knocked around. The Vikings marched down the field. The Bears, now 4-7 and headed to nowhere fast, fell for the fifth consecutive time with a 30-27 loss to Minnesota.
No one could believe it. Everyone could understand it.
Matt Eberflus falls to 5-18 (.217) in one score games…
while Kevin O’Connell improves to 23-10 (.697) in one score games.
Eberflus is the only NFL coach with a sub-.400 win pct in one score games. Here comes a 3-game road trip, where he really thrives. 🐻⬇️
— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeOstrowski) November 24, 2024
The late-game chaos led only to another loss and more numbing pain.
“You definitely think something special is about to happen,” receiver DJ Moore said. “We went to overtime and we’re like, ‘We about to win this game.’ And then (it doesn’t) come out that way and you’re back here asking me why we’re losing the game.”
It’s a regular occurrence. Moore’s locker is by the doors. He’s usually showered and dressed early. He doesn’t shy away from questions after losses. So we go to him for wisdom and honesty.
After a Hail Mary loss in Washington, a blocked field goal loss to Green Bay and now this, well, you couldn’t blame the players for chalking up this season’s downfall to something out of their control. No, the Bears aren’t good, but three wild defeats like these in a five-game losing streak is hard to fathom.
“We’re losing in the most unreal situations,” Moore said. “It’s just like all right, now the luck has got to go in our favor at some point. So hopefully it’s starting on Thanksgiving and we’ll have a nice meal coming back.”
Caleb gets the Bears in FG position!
📺: #MINvsCHI on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/JGTSXkgESr— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
Unless the Bears are planning to play in a turkey bowl in Grosse Pointe instead of the Lions at Ford Field on Thursday, I don’t think his wish will come true.
The 10-1 Lions are the Super Bowl favorites. The Bears, well, they’re maybe six weeks away from the franchise’s fifth head coaching search since firing Lovie Smith after a disappointing 10-6 season in 2012.
On Sunday, I thought back to GM Ryan Poles’ introductory press conference on Jan. 31, 2022. That was when he uttered his now-infamous line: “We’re going to take the North and never give it back.” Through two seasons and two games, the Bears are 2-12 in the NFC North. Given the quality of the other three teams in the division, it’s very possible Matt Eberflus has a second winless NFC North season in three tries.
I think we’re past opining on the head coach’s future in Chicago, but whatever happens the rest of the way for Eberflus and the Bears, no one can say they didn’t hold a first-quarter lead all season.
That’s because Roschon Johnson scored a 1-yard touchdown to cap off a 79-yard drive on the Bears’ third drive. That gave the Bears a 7-0 lead. It wasn’t a harbinger for things to come as Minnesota outscored them 24-3 until midway through the fourth quarter.
That the Bears rallied to score two touchdowns in the last 7 1/2 minutes of regulation was a positive sign for the development of Williams, the rookie quarterback who carries the football hopes and dreams of an entire fan base on his shoulders.
Williams went 32-for-47 for 340 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn’t thrown an interception on U.S. soil since Sept. 22. The 27 points were the third-most the Bears have scored this season. He also set the franchise mark for rookie passing yards during the game, eclipsing Mitch Trubisky’s short-lived record of 2,193.
In a sign of how low our expectations are, people have seriously been asking if interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown should be a candidate to replace Eberflus if he’s fired after the season. Brown has run the offense for two games, both of which showed promise but, in the end, were losses.
As formidable as Williams was throughout the game — he really zipped some throws in there, especially on the team’s first scoring drive — he was ineffectual in his only possession of overtime. He took a 12-yard loss after getting sacked on second-and-long and it wasn’t the line’s fault. He had 10 seconds to throw the ball to a receiver or out of bounds. A delay of game penalty made it third-and-26. The Vikings got the ball and, to paraphrase Poles, never gave it back. Quarterback Sam Darnold carved up Eberflus’ defense to get a game-winning field goal.
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So chalk this up as a positive game for Williams’ development if you want. That’s fine. To me, though, I’m still living in the present where the Bears are in a mess of their own making.
On Sunday, there were plenty of moments that made you understand why the Bears have lost five straight games. For the second game in a row, they got a field goal blocked. Late in the third quarter, punt returner DeAndre Carter allowed a bouncing ball to hit him in the leg, which resulted in a turnover and a Vikings touchdown. There was a miscommunication on the Bears’ plans on fourth down that resulted in a turnover on downs. There was another lost challenge (Eberflus is 0-for-4 this season).
It wasn’t all bad. But in the end, the Bears were only good enough to break their fans’ hearts. And if you’re waiting for something good to happen, you might as well get comfortable. The rest of this season is now just a prelude to another coaching search and more daydreams about how great the future is going to be once the Bears finally figure out how to win.
(Photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
