• Bears are +10 in turnovers and not in the postseason picture. Do people understand how difficult that is to achieve? They are tied fourth in the league and the only team in the top 13 not “in the mix.”
• If the Niners had a healthy backfield, you would expect them to have much success running against this Chicago front. But without McCaffrey or Mason, can they still control the game on the ground with Isaac Guerendo? (If they do, Eric Washington will have some questions to answer Monday AM.)
• If Jaylon Johnson tracks Jauan Jennings across the field, the Bears will need to have an answer for Deebo Samuel, a terrific player having a monumentally disappointing season. (And Cairo Santos should not land a kickoff within five yards of him at any point.)
• Looking for a stat that separates these two teams? The Niners are 7th in the league on third down, converting at a 43.2% clip. The Bears are 29th, converting at 33.5%.
• Niners are averaging only 15 points over their last four games. They will need 20+ to win this game, and I don’t think they’ll get there against a motivated, Flus-less defense.

Chicago Bears 24, San Francisco 49ers 16

Why Do I Like the Chicago Bears This Week?

I.

Always.

Like.

THE.

Chicago.

Bears.

The State of the 49ers…

…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?

Thomas Brown Tweet of the Week

“The initial goal is to unify this football team.” — interim Bears coach Thomas Brown

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) December 2, 2024

Read More …

Bears make history.

And fire a coach mid-year.

A new tradition?

For nine whole minutes,

Matt was forced to meet the press.

More mismanagement.

Wind, rustling his beard.

Eberflus wanders alone,

in a field of loss.

Yesterday, Ryan Poles, Kevin Warren and Thomas Brown met the media. Here are my thoughts.

Warren and Poles.

• Two words strike me every time I hear Kevin Warren speak: empty suit. When he says things like the Bears “have the greatest fans in all of sports”…does anyone actually believe him? In what world is that even on the periphery of accurate?
• Warren made it a distinct point to confirm Ryan Poles will remain the GM of the franchise moving forward and will be the “point person” for the head coaching search.
• Warren said that Caleb Williams is “special” and can “become more special.” Yes, he actually said that. I’d like to be more special.
• Warren lists a bunch of platitudes he’s looking for in the next head coach. My favorite? “A decisive decision maker.” Isn’t making a decision, by very definition, decisive?
• Poles cites the “end of game detailing” as the reason for firing Flus.
• Warren keeps repeating that “today” is when the Bears trajectory starts pointing upwards. What has he been doing for the last two years?
• Warren said the Eberflus decision was not made when Flus met the media Friday. This is also what I was told by several people. But still…why not just have Flus delay his media availability until the afternoon if you’re discussing his fate?
• Poles seems deflated, beaten down. He has every right to be disappointed with the result on the field, but this is a moment to put on a show for the cameras.
• Poles was asked about the Shane Waldron experience. He paused for about three minutes before not answering.

Read More …

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?

Read More …

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