It’s been a taxing week for Matt Eberflus and the Chicago Bears. The team suffered a devastating loss to the Washington Commanders on Jayden Daniels' walk-off Hail Mary touchdown. The final 25 seconds of the Bears’ Week 8 defeat revealed several cracks in Chicago’s facade.
Eberflus has been dragged by players and pundits alike, as has second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The Bears’ defensive back was caught on camera taunting the crowd in Washington before the Commanders' final play. He scrambled into position after the ball was snapped and managed to tip the pass into the hands of Washington wideout Noah Brown. The Commanders scored with no time remaining, dropping the Bears to 4-3 and last place in the highly competitive NFC North.
Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Eberflus refused to say if Stevenson’s actions would lead to the 24-year-old corner’s benching, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain on X. “Tyrique's made a lot of plays for this group over the last couple years. He's going to continue to do that,” Eberflus said.
The Bears’ coach added, “I've talked to Tyrique. Him and I had a good conversation. I'll keep it there with him and I,” according to Fishbain.
Can Tyrique Stevenson and the Bears recover from their Week 8 meltdown?
Following the loss, Stevenson apologized for taunting the Commanders, calling it a “lack of awareness and focus.” While the young DB’s mistake was a terrible look for the team, Eberflus took the brunt of the criticism for the Bears' implosion.
Overall, Eberflus had a miserable game, committing at least three fireable offenses. But it was his postgame comments that really drew the ire of fans and analysts. The Bears were playing ridiculously soft coverage on the Commanders final drive. This allowed Daniels to complete a 13-yard pass along the sideline. That completion put the Commanders in position to attempt a Hail Mary and also stopped the clock, as Terry McLaurin got out of bounds.
Despite the disastrous penultimate play, Eberflus told reporters that it didn’t matter. He was only focused on stopping the Hail Mary, which he notably failed to do. ESPN’s Mike Greenberg called the comment one of the dumbest things he’d ever heard. Eberflus attempted a bit of damage control, revealing what Stevenson failed to do on the improbable score. But it made little difference because his own players began publicly calling him out.
Tight end Cole Kmet told reporters that the Bears don’t respect the game and don’t practice hard enough. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson expressed his disapproval of the team’s coverage on the Hail Mary. Johnson then doubled down on his criticism of the Bears’ preparation, throwing Eberflus under the bus.
Chicago will travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals in Week 9. Stevenson’s role in the game will be revealed toward the end of the week. The Bears could improve to 5-3 with a win on Sunday. But the team’s underlying dysfunction was laid bare after Week 8’s gut wrenching loss.