Final Word: Chicago Bears are running out of time to learn how to sustain success with this roster
It was already a bad day for the Chicago Bears. It was almost a tragedy.
Caleb Williams was twisted down. He was in pain. Oh no. He got up. Okay… He walked off. Phew.
He later reassured reporters he was good. That might be the only remotely good thing about Sunday's 29-9 loss.
In a must-win game, the Bears fell to 4-4. Former NFL coach Bill Parcell always said you're only as good as your record. At .500, the Bears are just floating.
We've seen them play well. We've seen what it's supposed to look like.
Now, they need to find out how to sustain that success with this roster if they want to challenge in the NFC North and challenge for a postseason berth.
"We got to find and take pride in what the hell we're doing out here," Bears cornernback Jaylon Johnson said. "It was uncharacteristic of us, especially on defense."
They Bears have already found what they can take pride in.
They beat a Los Angeles Rams team, which went from 1-4 to 4-4 with a win Sunday, tantalized the Panthers and pinned down the struggling Jaguars. In those wins, the defense forced turnovers and the Bears' offense took advantage.
It's difficult when you get in your own way.
According to the Elias Stats Bureau, Emeri Demercado's 53-yard touchdown run at the end of the half is the longest rushing touchdown given up in the last 20 seconds of the first half since the 1970 merger.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus owned up to the mistake – aligning with the word "accountability" he's used this past week – during and after the game.
"I called a pass defense, a pass pressure and they ended up running the ball," Eberflus said. "I can make a better call there. That's on me."
Those kind of moments hurt. On Sunday, there were plenty of moments that hurt beyond that.
The chop block foul that resulted in a safety, the leveraging foul that turned a field goal into a touchdown, the dropped passes we've seen be completed this season and the scheme decisions that are still difficult to understand.
Tight end Cole Kmet did not get a target on Sunday. That can't happen, even though this has happened before this season already.
In sports, some days it's just not your day. But the Bears can take steps to remedy that.
They did it last week when they stormed back to take a lead late against the Commanders in a game they had no business of having a chance to win.
We know what happened after that, as the Hail Mary sting lingered throughout the week and carry over into Sunday as news of Tyrique Stevenson's benching broke before the noon slate of games kicked off.
There's so much the Bears can do. They know it.
"Keep playing, we got a lot of ball left," Bears' receiver Keenan Allen said. "We're not playing to the potential we want to play at."
Time isn't eternal, though.
Week 11 brings the Packers to Solider Field in a game that's ultimately going to be the biggest test for the Bears. Can this re-made roster and talented defense be the team that beats Green Bay?
This Bears team was supposed to be the one that followed through and challenged the rest of the NFC North.
There's still a chance they can. When the defense is playing in pursuit of an opposing offense and Caleb Williams is passing in rhythm, then the Bears are a good team. Staying the course is hard when things aren't going well, but the leaders on the team are preaching that.
"There's no quit in anybody here," Bears linebacker TJ Edwards said. "No one's going to sit here at take this."
The Bears have a chance to regain momentum next week against a Patriots team that just lost to the same Titans the Bears beat in Week 1.
Still, the Bears can't afford to overlook anyone. Especially when every game from now on carries so much significance.
If there's anything the last two weeks have proven, it's the Bears don't have enough talent to win on talent alone. That's okay. Only teams like the Kansas City Chiefs have that luxury, and it's why they're seeing a third-straight Super Bowl.
However, the Bears' roster will be different come next year. I'm not saying they're going to blow it all up – in fact, they should not do that – but having three draft picks in the first two days of the 2025 NFL Draft means the Bears will be looking to draft players that can make an immediate impact.
This roster is still wondering if Keenan Allen will be here next year. What about the pass rush? What the Bears have in place can win games.
They need to figure it out sooner rather than later to contend for the postseason berth they've been chasing since this current regime took over two years ago.
"We got to figure out what it is, how to make plays and how to impact the game better," Johnson said. "We got to find ways to win."