The Chicago Bears have been playing at a much higher level over the last two months. They have been playing hard for head coach Matt Eberflus, who has heard his name in the rumor mill as the next possible person to be fired.
Based on some of their shortcomings in recent weeks, that could still be a path the team goes down. Chicago has suffered some brutal losses in recent weeks, as Eberflus made some history no head coach wants to be a part of.
The late-game meltdowns that the Bears have had in recent weeks, for the most part, come down to coaching. Had they been able to seal the deal against the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions or Cleveland Browns, they would be in the driver’s seat for a playoff spot and even challenging for the NFC North title.
NFL News & Rumors: Matt Eberflus, Luke Getsy, Chicago Bears Updates
Alas, you are what your record says you are, and right now, the Bears are 5-9 and missing the postseason for the third straight season. A big reason for their shortcomings has been their inability to capitalize when the defense creates turnovers.
Creating turnovers is a fast way to flip the script in a game. Sudden changes, oftentimes, lead to points and change the direction a game is going. That is, of course, unless you are the Bears, who don’t take advantage of such situations.
As shared by Max Markham on X, the Bears now lead the NFL with 18 interceptions on the season after picking off Joe Flacco three times. They were able to turn those three turnovers into 10 points against the Browns, punching the ball in for a touchdown after the first interception and kicking a field goal on the second.
Unfortunately for Chicago, that kind of success when it comes to scoring after turnovers has been rare. According to Bartholomew Willijax on X, on the season, they have turned their 18 interceptions into only 13 points. That means on their first 15 interceptions of the season, the Bears offense turned those turnovers into only three points.
NFL News & Rumors: Matt Eberflus, Luke Getsy, Chicago Bears Updates
That is an unprecedented lack of success converting turnovers into points and is a big reason the Bears are only 5-9 on the season. Missing opportunities like that to turn the tides of a game have led to losses racking up at a rapid pace.
Some of that lack of execution of course falls on the players, but the coaching staff should be held responsible as well. While the players have been fighting hard for Eberflus over the last few weeks, there is a lot of evidence mounting against him and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy that they aren’t cut out for their current positions.
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