Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington is always looking ahead and accentuating the positive in opening remarks at his weekly press conference at Halas Hall. (“This week the San Francisco 49ers’ offense, at first glance you see all the signatures of a Kyle Shanahan-led offense.”)
But after the Bears’ defense allowed 452 yards and 38 points and showed little to no resistance against the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in his first game as the defensive play-caller, even Washington did what NFL coaches are loathe to do on a Thursday, and address last week before he looked to this week. It was that bad.
“I’m going to start with this: Last week’s performance on the defensive side of the ball, myself — clearly we failed to meet the mark in terms of anything that could be considered an acceptable performance. And that starts with me,” Washington said.
“We’ve identified, looked at, scrutinized, gone through every aspect of our process, our preparation, tactically, strategically, some of the core values and beliefs that we have, and I expect us to respond … and put forth the type of performance that will [give] us a chance to win a football game, and to actually win it.”
We’ll see about that. While the defense’s performance against the 49ers was a new low, it was hardly new. Since the Hail Mary debacle against the Commanders on Oct. 27, the defense has been determined to regain its first-half excellence, and keeps falling deeper and deeper into the muck.
The Bears in fact, were living up to their goal of being a top-five defense in the NFL through the first half of the season. They were fourth in points allowed (17.0 per game) and fifth in yards allowed (292.0 per game) following the Commanders game. But since the bye, they’re 24th in points allowed (25.3 per game) and 31st in yards (404.9).
The 49ers game looked like an opportunity to stop the regression, with the Bears feeling relief after Matt Eberflus was fired and the 49ers playing without All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams.
Instead, the 49ers needed just five plays to drive 70 yards for a touchdown on their opening drive, and the rout was on. And four days later, a Rams defense that ranks 24th in points and 27th in yards held those same 49ers to 12 points and 191 yards in a 12-6 victory at Levi’s Stadium on Thursday night.
“I’m not going to put forth any theories or anything that sounds like an excuse. We fell short. And that can’t be,” Washington said. “The players have a lot of pride. They invest a lot, as do I and the rest of our coaching staff, so we’ve got to move forward and come out ready to play and give ourselves a better chance.”
A week after the firing of Eberflus was hoped to invigorate the fading Bears, they instead were worse. Niners receivers were consistently open for big plays. Quarterback Brock Purdy completed 10 of 11 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown (a 149.1 passer rating) to “open” receivers,” per NFL.com‘s Next Gen Stats.
What’s the deal with that?
“We have to be better,” Washington said. “Everything starts with rush and coverage. It all starts with our ability to affect the quarterback. Any time the quarterback is able to stand back there, the receivers are going to break open whether you’re in a zone or man concept. We have to do a better job with that.”
While the offense has struggled with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the demise of the defense since the Hail Mary has been mystifying.
“Disappointed,” Washington said. “But very determined. I’m going to chalk that up as an anomaly as far as the character of our guys and the way we perform. We’re going to bounce back and perform the way we’re capable of.”