The Chicago Bears Are Broken. Can It Be Fixed?

A big reason for New England's dominance was the absolute ineptitude shown by Chicago's offense. The offensive line couldn't block a flea, and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked nine teams. Chicago was 1-for-14 on third-down attempts. The passing game looked discombobulated and the running game never took off.

It's clear that there's more than one person or personnel group to blame. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron's game plan looked terrible and he showed no ability to adjust to injuries on the offensive line. Williams missed throws he should have made. Wide receivers didn't finish routes and dropped catchable passes.

The thing is, one can excuse Williams' mistakes since he is a rookie. And he's probably been rattled by being under constant pass-rush pressure. What this author finds inexcusable is Waldron's inability to call a better game.

Waldron isn't new to the position, he's been an OC before, in Seattle with the Seahawks. He should have enough experience to know what to do when his offensive line becomes a MASH unit. Heck, most entry-level Madden players get it.

First of all, the Bears should've, to borrow a phrase from a former head coach, got off the bus running. With Williams regressing and the line in shambles, establishing the ground game could've taken some heat off of the quarterback and set up the play-action pass game.

Furthermore, once it became clear that the team couldn't pass block, there were easy adjustments to make. Use screens and draw plays. Maybe even the occasional designed run for Williams. Go max protect. Again, use the play-action game to slow the pass rush -- which, again, would have required establishing the running game.

It's also criminal that the Bears have barely targeted tight end Cole Kmet the past two weeks -- despite the fact that he is a Pro Bowl-level player.

While the offense is the primary problem, let's not let the defense off the hook. The Bears' defense is supposed to be one of the best in the league and yet the team allowed the Patriots to move the ball.

It wasn't unreasonable to enter the season thinking the Bears weren't a playoff team. With a rookie QB a new OC, and a head coach in Matt Eberlus who has been shaky at times, it seemed like the Bears might be one season away. But improvement over last season was expected, especially given Williams' potential plus the potential of fellow rookie Rome Odunze. Plus the addition of veteran WR Keenan Allen, veteran RB D'Andre Swift, and that defense.

Yet it looks as bad, if not worse, than last year. Last year the Bears had a great defense and young QB who was struggling to find consistency -- and who sometimes held on to the ball too long. What's different this year? Nothing except the QB's name and years of NFL experience.

OK, that's an oversimplification made to drive home a point. There are obviously differences between 2023 and 2024. But it's looking too much the same.

The Bears could fix this. Maybe they need a new OC, which they will have after firing Waldron. Or maybe Eberflus needs to go. Or maybe no additional moves are made.

I don't know what the answer is, but I do know what the problem is. Actually, problems, plural.

I will leave it to a quote from former head coach John Fox, who said it best: "It's all a problem".

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