Nobody needs a win right now more than Matt Eberflus. The talk about his job status is constant at this point. Everybody wants him fired. One enterprising fan even showed up live at WWE Survivor Series holding up a sign that said as much. Beating the Vikings in Minnesota might quiet some of the noise, at least for a week. However, people might be underestimating how important this game is for the Chicago Bears head coach. It starts with the fact he is still winless against NFC North teams. If he can’t beat the Vikings despite no Kirk Cousins and maybe no Justin Jefferson? That is an awful look.
However, it goes deeper than that. One of the biggest criticisms leveled at Eberflus and his coaching staff has been their inability to prepare the team for obvious matchup challenges. They couldn’t stop Aaron Jones on opening day. They seemed to have no plan for Travis Kelce in Kansas City. Worst of all, everybody knew the Minnesota Vikings’ defense would blitz constantly in the first meeting. They did exactly that, and it looked like the Bears were caught entirely off guard by it. Fields was under constant pressure. The offensive line failed to handle stunts and extra guys all day. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy looked completely unprepared.
After seeing it once, the Bears should be ready for it on Monday night. If they’re not? Let’s just say it will be another terrible look for the coaches.
Matt Eberflus needs to show if he’s learned anything.
The mark of any good coach is showing they can adjust to what an opponent did to you in a previous meeting. Chicago is finally healthy up front. Nate Davis and Braxton Jones are back from their respective injuries. The pass protection was solid against Detroit. They should be rested and ready. Plenty of tape is available to diagnose what Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores likes to do with his exotic blitz packages. A big focus should be finding ways to get Cole Kmet the ball. Minnesota held him in check last time, making only two catches for nine yards. Getsy has to make adjustments for that.
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It will also fall on Matt Eberflus to have his defense ready. With Jefferson and Cousins out, there is no excuse for the Bears to allow more than 20 points against this Vikings team. Josh Dobbs is a capable backup, but he’s only been there a couple of weeks, and the Vikings can’t consistently run the ball. The only way they get going is if T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison are pretty much allowed to do whatever they want. Expectations are low for this game. Eberflus is on life support. He needs a good showing in the worst way.
