The Chicago Bears came on strong in the second half of the 2023 NFL season, but it was too little, too late as they were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17 after the Green Bay Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.
There is one game remaining for the Bears against the Packers in Week 18, as Chicago will try to play spoiler and avenge a blowout loss suffered to Green Bay all the way back in Week 1. Regardless, this was seen as a year in which the Bears were hoping to take a step and make the playoffs with quarterback Justin Fields growing in his third season with added weapons.
The Bears came out of the gate looking like one of the weakest teams in the league before coming on strong midway and late in the season. There were some missed opportunities, and the blame goes to a number of members of the organization.
However, there are three names that stick out when it comes to who deserves most of the blame for the Bears missing the playoffs in a season in which it was all there for the taking for them. Let's dive into those three names.
Justin Fields, Quarterback
Justin Fields is loved by many in the fanbase, and he truly should be commended for his growth that he has shown throughout the season. Still, there are some reasons for him to be blamed, as early in the year, Justin Fields was really disappointing from a passing standpoint.
In the losses to the Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers specifically, Fields was massively disappointing. All-22 film was going viral with receivers running open, and Fields was not pulling the trigger. It is virtually impossible for fans to know what the actual reads are in an NFL offense, but Fields was getting critiqued by former NFL quarterbacks like JT O'Sullivan for his play.
Fields' play down the stretch and after coming back from injury specifically might be good enough for the Bears and Ryan Poles to pass on a quarterback. With Chicago holding the No. 1 pick from the trade with the Carolina Panthers last season, Ryan Poles could move on from Fields by drafting someone like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, or he could do what he did last year and trade back for a large haul to fill out the roster even more around Fields. Either decision is defensible.
Luke Getsy, Offensive Coordinator
While there are legitimate critiques of Fields missing open receivers, Luke Getsy deserves blame as well for not running a scheme that maximizes his quarterback's strengths. Outside of maybe Matt Canada before he got fired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Luke Getsy got a lot of heat this season. Route concepts often did not make sense and gave Fields no options to throw to, leaving him to either scramble, throw it away or take a sack.
Some games that stand out as winnable with better offensive performances are the Buccaneers, Saints and Browns games. Luke Getsy deserves some blame for the Bears missing the playoffs.
Matt Eberflus, Head Coach
Despite the Bears' slow start, there are multiple games that the team blew either early on, or down the stretch that would have made a difference. With Matt Eberflus taking the bulk of responsibilities for the Bears' defensive unit, he deserves the criticism for the blown leads.
The games that stand out for Matt Eberflus are the Broncos, Lions and Browns games. The Bears were up three scores against the Broncos, and ended up losing. A key decision to go for it on fourth down while in field goal range to take the lead back came back to bite the Bears. The decision to go for it was not bad, but the play call was not good, and the head coach takes responsibility for that big of a call. The defense also collapsed with some key turnovers contributing as well.
K-JACK CALLED GAME‼️
📺: CBS or @ParamountPlus pic.twitter.com/2d35c4NBFz
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 1, 2023
The Lions game was notable as well, as the Bears blew a 26-14 lead with just a few minutes left. There was some execution stuff on the players that does not fall on Matt Eberflus, but the defense collapsed after playing well for most of the game.
Lastly, the Browns loss was brutal, and likely was the last nail in the coffin for the playoffs. The Bears led 17-7, and once again the defense collapsed.
Bears fans will look back on blown leads as a big reason they are not in the playoffs, and Eberflus deserves blame.
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