If one were to honestly look ahead at the Chicago Bears’ schedule, head coach Matt Eberflus’ prospects appeared dire. Just on Thursday, his squad barely managed to defeat the hopeless Carolina Panthers. The teams playing in the next four games will all have winning records. Three of those matches are against top-10 defences and three are on the road. Eberflus now has three victories. That seems like twice what he’ll need to prove in order to keep him around for an additional year. It doesn’t appear like that slate will provide that wish. Yes, there has been a significant change.
The stunning announcement that quarterback Deshaun Watson will need surgery to fix a bone fracture in his throwing shoulder stunned the NFL community. It’s his last season. For a team deep in the AFC playoff hunt, it is a devastating setback. Furthermore, it appeared as though Watson was finally returning to his peak performance from his Houston days. It’s a huge group of guts. That leaves P.J. Walker, the backup, to handle the season. Despite being a 1-1 starter this year, he has thrown five interceptions and one score.
On paper, a game that appeared to be a clear loss no longer feels quite as intimidating.
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Matt Eberflus is not at fault.
There’s no chance of defeating the Detroit Lions on Sunday. With a strong roster at the end of a protracted reconstruction, they are among the best teams in the NFC. The next two games aren’t insurmountable, though. Minnesota will have to use a backup quarterback for the remainder of the season. Although Josh Dobbs has performed admirably since moving from Arizona, he is hardly Kirk Cousins. The Bears will get a bye week to recuperate and rest following that. Then comes the matchup with the Browns in Cleveland.
Although they have the greatest defence in the league, it is not without flaws. Walker tends to make mistakes, so if Matt Eberflus can capitalise on that, the Bears may be able to wear them down with a consistent running game. If the Vikings and Browns are defeated, Eberflus would only need to defeat Atlanta, Arizona, or Green Bay in the next three games to finish with six wins. After a thumb dislocation, Justin Fields is expected to recover. For the most part, the team looks well. This is a unique opportunity that shrewd coaches would seize.
Eberflus is running out of reasons.
