There was a sense of finality for the Chicago Bears on Sunday when a hail mary throw from quarterback Justin Fields at the end of the fourth quarter fell out of the lap of a falling Darnell Mooney.
As the ball bounced from Mooney’s lap, securing the victory for the Cleveland Browns, it once again became clear that the Bears were exactly who we thought they were.
For head coach Matt Eberflus, there was momentum toward the idea that he could be brought back for a third season but Sunday seemed to be the loss that sealed his fate. For the third time this season, the Bears blew a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter.
The Bears have lost three games this season where they had a 10+ point lead in the 4th Qtr.
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 17, 2023
That's tied for the most in a season in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/18AcNhfITY
Eberflus can not be back for a third season as the Bears’ head coach. Sunday’s game proved the suspicion that we had at the start of the season, Eberflus was an over-promoted defensive coordinator. Three losses where the game plan falls apart in the fourth quarter is unacceptable.
Sunday, also provided some sense of finality for quarterback Justin Fields.
Sure, fans can have the “what-if” game on the idea that Robert Tonyan comes up with the pass in the first quarter that was dropped on what could have been a touchdown or if Mooney secured the Hail Mary at the end of the game, but, in that hypothetical, be sure to include the two should have been interceptions that Fields threw had it not been for a drop by the Browns’ defender, one that would have been returned for an easy pick-six.
For all the bending over backward that fans have as a way to prove that Fields is the answer at the quarterback, we are waking up on another Monday following a Bears’ loss with questions at the quarterback position failing to be answered.