Chicago Bears 24, San Francisco 49ers 16
I.
Always.
Like.
THE.
Chicago.
Bears.
…is unstable.
The Niners have lost a majority of their elite talent, with more dropping each week. (They lost both their starting tailbacks in the Buffalo game.) Their quarterback is playing with a serious shoulder injury, and their coach looks exasperated on the sideline. They’ve lost three straight games, and their performance Monday night in Orchard Park was the performance of a club ready for a lost season to be over. (With the exception of Deebo Samuel, who might have had multiple kick return touchdowns on a normal playing surface.) Strange thing? They are ONLY two games back of the first place Seahawks. They’re not buried, even if they can taste the dirt.
This is an interesting matchup from a motivational standpoint. The Bears players wanted their coach gone. He’s gone. They wanted Thomas Brown to take over. He’s in charge. Will we see a Bears team with something to prove squaring off against a Niners team eager for a January flight to Mexico?
“The initial goal is to unify this football team.” — interim Bears coach Thomas Brown
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 2, 2024
Yesterday, Ryan Poles, Kevin Warren and Thomas Brown met the media. Here are my thoughts.
Warren and Poles.
Thomas Brown is a damn good coach.
But this column’s goal is not to argue that Brown must be the next head coach of the Chicago Bears. There should be and will be a process to make that determination. This column’s goal is to position Brown’s candidacy appropriately, to make the argument why Brown should be considered for the gig in 2025 and beyond.
First, the quarterback. For generations, the cry of the Bears fan has been that the organization fails young quarterbacks. Mitch Trubisky didn’t stink. (He did.) Justin Fields didn’t stink. (He also did.) The Bears failed them. (Sure.) Let’s look at the performance of Caleb Williams over the three games with Brown as his offensive coordinator.
Based on Caleb Williams’ pace with Thomas Brown as OC
Over a full season:
4692 passing yards
28 passing TDs
0 INTs
64.1 comp %
805 rushing yards— Nick Whalen (@_NickWhalen) November 29, 2024
Yes, these are projections, not reality. But they are also a three-game sample size against the Packers, Vikings and Lions, the three teams the Bears need to beat consistently if they want to be a championship threat. Brown and Williams clearly have a rapport that is yielding a massive amount of production. What could be a more impressive line on a candidate’s resume than that? Isn’t Brown exactly the coach fans have yearned for when it comes to quarterback development?
Black Friday: For the first time in the 100-plus year history of the franchise, the Chicago Bears have made an in-season head-coaching change, firing Matt Eberflus.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 29, 2024
Kevin Warren lingered in the Bears locker room longer than he typically has this season, while Ryan Poles put his arm around QB Caleb Williams for a few private words.
What happens next for the Bears brass? Is it time to fire Matt Eberflus?
https://t.co/3O9MOQXnlh— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) November 29, 2024