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Perfect Matt Eberflus Replacement Made Clear After Bears' Disastrous Thanksgiving Loss

The Chicago Bears' best option to replace Matt Eberflus became incredibly obvious after Thursday's loss to the Detroit Lions.

By Jason Schandl

Nov 28, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus looks at the scoreboard during their game against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Nov 28, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus looks at the scoreboard during their game against the Detroit Lions in the first quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
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Matt Eberflus has got to go. I doubt there are many people reading this who don't think that's a given at this point, but this isn't where you'll find discussion on whether it needs to happen or a deep dive into the why. There are plenty of reasons that have already been hashed out in detail by most Bears fans and media.

The really interesting question at this point is who replaces Eberflus. I'm not talking about who handles interim head coaching duties if he's fired mid-season either. At 4-8 and fourth place in the NFC North, the Bears are massive longshots to make the playoffs, so attention now really turns toward the offseason and who will lead this team for the future.

And Thursday gave the Bears a front-row seat to study the man who is right for the job. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has to be a top priority candidate for the Bears to pursue.

You hate to admit when your rival has something going so right, but the Bears can't let pride get in the way of making the right hire. And Johnson is the right hire.

Defense isn't an issue in Chicago. Eric WIlliams is doing a great job and the Bears have a top-10 scoring defense which grades out as the fifth-best unit in the NFL according to PFF. The key to making this team into a contender is developing Caleb Williams and bringing this offense up to its full potential. And who better to do that than Johnson?

The year before he took over as the Lions' offensive coordinator, Detroit ranked 25th in PFF's offensive grade in 2021. In his first season in 2022 they leapt to 8th before jumping to 2nd in 2023 and 2nd again so far in 2024.

Nobody doubted how much talent this Bears offense had before the season. Shane Waldron obviously played a big role in holding them back, but Eberflus certainly isn't helping. And even if Thomas Brown sticks as the offensive coordinator, an offensive minded head coach like Johnson is exactly what Chicago needs to take things to the next level.

And Johnson leading his offense to a 23-point performance against a terrific Bears defense immediately after one of their starting wide receivers was put on I.R. and while another one was banged up showed Bears fans everything they needed to see.

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