The Chicago Bears might find working with interim coach Thomas Brown different than they did with Matt Eberflus

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Chicago Bears’ firing of Matt Eberflus on Friday after a botched 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions has little impact on the team’s most important goal of the season.

At 4:8, this Bears season was all about developing quarterback Caleb Williams as best as possible. The loss of the head coach and defensive player with a career record of 14-32 has less significance for Williams.

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was instrumental in Williams’ improvement, and now Brown is also the interim head coach in addition to his role as game manager.

Since Brown took over as offensive coordinator for the fired Shane Waldron, it was clear that they had a coach with a more fiery personality than Eberflus.

“I’m a pretty direct person,” Brown said last week about being a Chicago OC.

Brown was never a head coach, but his coaching style was evident when he took over as coordinator following Waldron’s firing. He will look to instill a high-energy coaching style across the team, similar to what he did with Williams.

“So I think it can come across differently to different people, but he (Williams) is not meek, which I appreciate,” Brown said. “Sometimes me and gentle people don’t see eye to eye, we understand each other.”

In the three games since Brown took over as offensive coordinator, Williams has completed 75 of 117 for 827 yards with five touchdowns, no interceptions and a 99.2 passer rating. Before Brown’s hiring, Williams had an 81.0 passer rating with nine touchdown passes and five interceptions.

The 99.2 passer rating was achieved against tougher NFC North opponents.

What Brown needs to work on with Williams and the entire team is obvious after they lost three heartbreakers to NFC North teams and failed to convert rallies in each game.

“A lot of those games we were behind and we bounced back from 16, 10, you know, all those different scores,” Williams said. “And you know, we believe in ourselves and are capable of going out there and doing that.”

Now Brown has to achieve better results than he did under Eberflus.

What works

The temporary attack. Despite five more sacks and an NFL-high 49 for Williams this year, they managed to improve their offense for three touchdown passes in the second half against Detroit. Williams set an NFL rookie record for consecutive passes without an interception, surpassing Kyler Murray’s mark of 211. He broke it in the third quarter with a 31-yard TD pass to Keenan Allen. Williams’ record is now 232 consecutive passes without an interception. His five TD passes in two weeks brought his season total to 14, a Bears rookie record.

What needs help

The run defense. Detroit ran 144 of its 197 runs in the first half, extending its large lead. The Bears have struggled to stop the run all year, but especially after losing year-long defensive tackle Andrew Billings in Week 8 to a torn pectoral muscle. They rank 30th in yards per rush allowed heading into this weekend’s games.

Stock up

Keenan Allen. The veteran wide receiver’s five catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns increased his total since Brown took over the game to 200 yards on 18 receptions. He has 44 catches for 441 yards and five touchdowns this year.

Inventory reduced

D’Andre Swift ran for just 39 yards on 11 carries while his yards per attempt fell below 4.0 this year.

Injuries

Right tackle Darnell Wright was out in the second half with a knee injury, while Roschon Johnson was ruled out with a suspected concussion.

Williams also suffered a bruised left knee when hit by Detroit linebacker Jack Campbell, but did not leave the game.

Key number

3 – Eberflus’ Bears teams won three away games and none of them came this season. The Bears’ last away win was on November 27, 2023 against the Minnesota Vikings. Although they won in London this year, they were named the home team that day.

Next Steps

Brown and defensive coordinator Eric Washington have more than a week to work on their game plan as the Bears are off until their Dec. 8 game against San Francisco.