Nobody thought it was possible. Yet here we are. This was supposed to be Justin Fields’ year. It was his second season under Luke Getsy. They added more protection and a legitimate #1 receiver in D.J. Moore. If ever there was a time for the young QB to mature as a passer, this was it. That hasn’t happened. Fields has looked lost for most of the first three games, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. The losing streak has hit 13 games. Pressure is mounting on head coach Matt Eberflus to do something.
He’d love nothing better than to lean on his defense, but that isn’t possible. The unit already has problems up front with a historically bad pass rush. Now the secondary is getting banged up as well. His only hope is help from the offense, but that seems unlikely because the quarterback is in his own head, second-guessing everything he does.
That brings us to this coming Sunday. The Bears will face the Denver Broncos and their 32nd-ranked defense. They are 29th against the pass. If ever there was an opponent that could help Fields build some momentum, it’s this one. So what happens if he doesn’t? NFL Notifications on Twitter, which has had some accurate information in the past, dropped an interesting rumor.
Desperation could force Matt Eberflus’ hand.
If the offense again fails to show up on Sunday, he’ll have two choices. Either he fires the offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, or he benches Fields in hopes somebody else can provide a spark. Tyson Bagent looked unexpectedly sharp in the preseason, showing more polish than one would expect from an undrafted rookie. Nobody in their right mind expects him to be the second coming of Tom Brady or Kurt Warner. However, he might run the offense a little more the way it was supposed to.
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It’s not like Matt Eberflus has anything to lose at this rate. He is 3-17 so far coaching the Bears. The man desperately needs a win, and the current formula isn’t working. He can’t justify benching Fields after three games. However, a poor performance against the NFL’s worst defense would be the catalyst he needs. Remember, this is hardly uncharted territory for the Bears. Marc Trestman benched Jay Cutler for Jimmy Clausen at one point. Matt Nagy benched Mitch Trubisky for Nick Foles.
Desperate men do desperate things.
I’d fire Getsy first and foremost. His play calling, scheme, all of it has been atrocious.
So, why does Eberflus even get to make this choice? He needs to get a new job.
All I’m willing to bet on (figuratively) is that the Bears will make the wrong decision at the QB position. Seems like Murphy’s law bites them every chance it gets.