Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, who has an understated way of telling it like it is, captured the paradox facing the Bears in their coaching search in the aftermath of the team’s eighth consecutive loss Monday night against the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium.
“An offense-minded coach would take it to the next level. But whoever comes in here has just got to lead the men in the locker room in the direction of a winning streak,” Moore said during his paid weekly appearance Tuesday on “The Mully & Haugh Show” on 670 The Score.
Therein lies the biggest issue that nobody has any faith in the brain trust at Halas Hall to figure out: The Bears desperately need the Andy Reid/Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan quarterback-whisperer to develop Caleb Williams — and not leave if he accomplishes that mission.
But the Bears might need — cliche as it might be — a “leader of men” guy. A strong-willed coach who will shake things up at Halas Hall, rattle the McCaskey cage and set the trajectory of the franchise in his own football-rooted image instead of the McCaskey’s kumbaya-rooted image. And the most obvious headstrong, leader-of-men candidates are defensive coaches: Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, and the now-unavailable Bill Belichick among them.
The Bears almost certainly will go with the offensive coach — especially with the risk of “ruining” Williams, physically if not mentally, higher than ever after Monday night’s 30-12 loss to the Vikings. But the Bears somehow have to find the quarterback guru who has command of the whole team like Reid, Shanahan and McVay do.
Good luck with that. This is an organization that interviewed Kliff Kingsbury, Liam Coen, Klint Kubiak, Zac Robinson, Marcus Brady and Thomas Brown among others for their offensive coordinator opening in January — and hired Shane Waldron.
Let’s face it. The Bears’ best chance of finding their Andy Reid is to find their Clark Hunt. And until that happens — if ever — everything the Bears do will be a roll of the dice.
2. GM Ryan Poles keeps clinging to his team’s resilience like a lifeline. “We bring in resilient people and that’s to go through adverse times like we’re going through,” he said on the pre-game show Monday on ESPN 1000. “That’s why guys have stuck together in the locker room.
But resilience is shown not just in the locker room but on the field. And this Bears team that thinks it’s resilient is almost the opposite of resilient — it never fails to disappoint. Since the Hail Mary against the Commanders on Oct. 27, it has failed to respond every time.
Monday night’s loss was more of the same. The Bears fell behind 13-0 at halftime. The next man up — left tackle Kiran Amegadjie — played like a rookie in his first start. The Bears were called for 11 penalties — one that wiped out a Montez Sweat sack, one that nullified a D’Andre Swift touchdown and two that nullified a Tyrique Stevenson interception.
Thomas Brown was a figurative breath of fresh air after Matt Eberflus was fired on Nov. 29 — several players clearly embraced his leadership. Yet in two games under Brown, it’s like Eberflus never left.
3. Vic Fangio’s Eagles defense is first in the NFL in points allowed (17.6 per game) and yards allowed (275.6) after the Eagles’ 27-13 victory over the Steelers on Sunday. The Eagles held the Steelers to 163 total yards — the Steelers’ fewest since 2010, when Charlie Batch was playing for suspended starter Ben Roethlisberger.
Of all the 20 hires at Halas Hall from offensive/defensive coordinators up to president since George McCaskey became chairman in 2011, Fangio is the lone home run, And to anyone who has met Fangio even once, it’s not a surprise that he is the one hire immune to the effects of Halas Hall dysfunction — and as good at Halas Hall as he was before he arrived.
4. If Moore looks like he’s taking this in stride, there’s good reason. This is the fourth time in his seven seasons his team has lost seven or more games with a winning record.
In fact, the last time an NFL team lost eight straight after having a winning record after six or more games was the 2019 Panthers, who were 5-3 when they lost their final eight games (Ron Rivera was fired four games into the streak).
Moore, who was in his second season, was averaging 101.7 yards per game and 14.9 yards per catch in the first six games of that streak, before suffering a concussion against Eberflus’ Colts in Week 16.
5. The Bears’ last eight touchdowns have come with them trailing by 10 points or more — 27-6, 31-6, 24-0, 23-13, 23-7, 16-0, 27-16 and 24-10.
Their last touchdown that gave them a lead was Roschon Johnson’s one-yard run that gave them a 7-0 lead with 53 seconds left in the first quarter against the Vikings on Nov. 24 at Soldier Field. It lasted 59 seconds — with the Vikings needed just three plays to respond for a 7-7 tie.
6. Amegadjie was in a tough spot in his first NFL start against the Vikings’ defense at U.S. Bank Stadium. And on late notice — Amegadjie wasn’t told he was starting until Saturday, when Braxton Jones was diagnosed with a concussion.
Amegadjie, a third-round draft pick (No. 75 overall) had a rough game. He allowed a strip-sack and was called for four penalties — holding twice, a false start and ineligible man downfield. It sounded like a nightmare.
“Just didn’t execute,” the Hinsdale Central product said. “I played with bad technique. I played outside myself. I didn’t know I was going to be the starter the whole week, but I prepared like it. Just didn’t play within myself when it mattered most. I have no excuses. I’ve got to be better.”
7. Amegadjie’s struggles might have been a worse look for Poles, who drafted Amegadjie in the third round. Amegadjie was one of 10 offensive linemen taken in the first 22 picks of the third round.
Niners right guard Dominic Puni (No. 86) is ranked sixth among 127 NFL guards this season by Pro Football Focus. Cowboys center Cooper Beebe (No. 73) ranks 21st among 60 centers. Raiders tackle Delmar Glaze (No. 77), Colts right tackle Matt Goncalves (No. 79), Commanders left tackle Brandon Coleman (No. 67) and Cardinals right guard Isaiah Adams (No. 71) are current starters.
8. Quick Hits: In his last four games, Caleb Williams has a 108.8 passer rating (eight touchdowns, no interceptions) when down 10 or more points; and an 84.1 rating (no touchdowns, no interceptions) when within 10 points or leading. … The Bears have been outscored 53-0 in the first half over their last three games (24-0, 16-0, 13-0). … With Amegadjie playing for Jones, the Bears had their sixth different starting offensive line combination in 14 games this season — and 24th in 48 games under GM Ryan Poles. … Williams’ streak of eight games without an interception is tied for the eighth most since the merger. The Chargers’ Justin Herbert had an 11-game streak snapped Sunday against the Buccaneers.
9. Josh McCown Ex-Bears Player of the Week: Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith had five tackles (and made every one of them count), one quarterback hit and one pass break-up in a 35-14 victory over the Giants.
10. Bear-ometer — 4-13: vs. Lions (L); vs. Seahawks (L); at Packers (L).
