It was like pulling teeth, but Matt Eberflus got his fourth win of the 2023 season on Monday night in Minnesota. Beating the Vikings was his first divisional win of his career, and it was beyond ugly. Winning a game 12-10 against a team missing its starting quarterback and best wide receiver is nothing to celebrate. What made it even worse is the score never should’ve been that close. The Chicago Bears defense intercepted Josh Dobbs four times on the evening. It was the second straight game they had four takeaways. Yet the offense managed only three points off those turnovers.
That is inexcusable. Any normal team would’ve put up at least a touchdown or two in those situations. Once again, it’s beyond clear the Bears can’t be normal. One of the biggest issues rested with the offensive play calling. It was hard to understand what offensive coordinator Luke Getsy was trying to accomplish. His only solution to the Vikings’ blitz-heavy attack seemed to be wave upon wave of screens. There was a pitiful lack of imagination and a general feeling of cowardice from the display. He wasn’t willing to let Justin Fields attack, which almost cost his team the game.
Matt Eberflus didn’t seem to have a way out. Now he does.
It isn’t because the Bears won. Nobody in their right mind would think beating a shorthanded Vikings team is a turning point. No, the difference centered around unit performance. Eberflus took over play calling duties on defense in September after Alan Williams resigned. They now rank 9th overall in total yards and boast the #1 run defense in the league. They’ve also allowed less than 20 points in four of the last seven games. If nothing else, he’s again proving to be among the best defensive coaches in the league.
That could be what ends up saving him. He can now make the case to GM Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren that he has the defense fixed. The core issue is the problems on offense. Monday night was another glaring example that Getsy might be out of his depth as offensive coordinator. Scoring 16 points off eight turnovers is mind-bogglingly bad. The Bears are 21st in scoring this year. They were 23rd last year. There hasn’t been enough improvement despite obvious upgrades to the overall roster.
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Matt Eberflus can use Getsy as a scapegoat to buy more time, promising a (hopeful) upgrade at offensive coordinator can get this team to the next level.
