Matt Eberflus is in trouble. Everybody knows it by now. He’s 6-22 as head coach of the Chicago Bears. His defense hasn’t made any significant progress from last season. Worst of all, his team is developing a reputation for being choke artists after two brutal 4th quarter collapses against Denver and Detroit. His job security is shakier than ever. The guy desperately needs a win. His next opportunity comes on Monday Night Football in Minnesota against the Vikings.
He even has some good fortune on his side. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is already lost for the season to an Achilles injury. Backup Josh Dobbs is filling in for him. While the veteran has been more than serviceable, he’s not as dangerous as Cousins. Better still, news came in from Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that star receiver Justin Jefferson won’t play due to his nagging hamstring injury. Those are the two best players on offense out for Minnesota. There is no excuse in the world for Chicago to lose this game.
While it presents a big opportunity for Eberflus to quiet the noise, it is also a dangerous double-edged sword. If he loses to a team missing their QB and best offensive weapon, there is no explaining that away.
Matt Eberflus can’t hide behind anything.
Nothing positive has happened for him this season. The defense still gives up too many points and can’t protect leads. They’ve yet to have an actual winning streak under his watch. He hasn’t beaten an NFC North team since arriving in Chicago. His players commit way too many mistakes and don’t know how to finish. The only argument for keeping him is that it’s uncommon to fire head coaches after only two years. Normally, they get three. Meanwhile, Denver fired Nathaniel Hackett after one season, hired Sean Payton, and now they’re 6-5. Believe it or not, being patient is overrated. Good coaches don’t typically take this long to get a team pointed in the right direction.
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Matt Eberflus came in with a solid philosophy. He wanted a team high on effort, intensity, and physicality. There is nothing wrong with that. The problem is it takes more than those three things to win in this league. You need a sound strategy and a keen understanding of situational management. You also need to know when there is an opportunity to take advantage of a wounded opponent. If he can’t beat Minnesota right now when they’re so depleted, there is no reason to think he can beat good teams.
