Shocking Caleb Williams Comment Makes Eberflus Look Even Worse

Matt Eberflus needed a bounce-back game in the biggest way. The Chicago Bears had just suffered a gut-wrenching loss to the Washington Commanders on a Hail Mary last week. Much of it came about because of Eberflus’ poor decision-making. A rebound victory in Arizona might calm the growing cries for his job. Instead, the Bears wet the bed with a 29-9 loss. Nothing went right. The defense allowed over 200 yards on the ground while Caleb Williams was sacked six times.

What in the world happened? A lot of it involved the Cardinals playing well, but anybody with eyes could tell the Bears weren’t all there. The effort and intensity were lacking. Guys weren’t on top of the details. It felt like they were going at half-speed. Williams offered his assessment of the situation. In truth, it boiled down to guys being unable to move past the Hail Mary last week against Washington. They lingered on it for days. By the time attention shifted to Arizona, it was too late.

That is why the team looked so unprepared and out of sorts.

Caleb Williams didn’t do his head coach any favors.

It fell on Eberflus to ensure his team had a short memory of last week. That is what head coaches do, or at least the good ones. Instead, the play seemed to fester across the locker room, giving guys nightmares about what happened and how everything went wrong. Whatever message Eberflus tried using didn’t land. There were already warning signs that players weren’t happy with him after last week. Some likely saw the head coach as a reason the play happened in the first place.

Caleb Williams’ comments should not be downplayed. They are a surefire sign that Eberflus no longer has a firm grip on the locker room. A good example is last year. A week after the Bears experienced that awful collapse at home against Denver, they thumped the Commanders 40-20 in Washington. Not this time. Eberflus’ voice no longer resonates in the locker room. Some of his more recent decisions likely play a part in that. At 4-4 with the NFC North gauntlet on the horizon, his time is all but up.