This Chicago Bears season has been very lackluster. After being crowned the champions of the offseason and the 2024 NFL Draft, a ton of expectations were placed on the team. As it turns out, the championships they won this year are in the disappointment category. They have now been mathematically eliminated from the NFL Playoffs this season. From the LARGE list of reasons they were eliminated, 3 stand out.

1. The Coaching Was A Joke

The Bears’ biggest mistake last year was not firing Matt Eberflus. He was a horrendous coach who constantly mismanaged the team’s time. I’m more stunned that the Bears fired him mid-season, but it had to be done.

It’s not just Eberflus that is the problem, but the offensive coordinator role has been mismanaged this year. Did you know the Bears have had 3 different offensive coordinators this year? Shane Waldron was a disaster and got fired midseason. Thomas Brown was the interim offensive coordinator, but he got promoted to interim head coach due to Eberflus being fired. Now, it’s Chris Beatty, the offensive coordinator for the team. It’s no wonder why Caleb Williams has been inconsistent this season. Nobody can consistently play well with the constant turnover at coaching.

2. That Offensive Line, Yikes

The Chicago Bears offense has been hyped up this season. They drafted a franchise quarterback in Caleb Williams and acquired many weapons for him, including a running back in D’Andre Swift, WR Keenan Allen Via Trade, and Rome Odunze. Along with DJ Moore, the offense was a boom or bust.

There’s just one problem, the offensive line sucks and the depth is horrendous. When healthy, Darnell Wright and Braxton Jones are great tackles, but both have dealt with injuries this season. The interior offensive line is one of the worst in football. Caleb wasn’t the greatest during his rookie year, but he got no help from the O-line. The Bears need to address the offensive line in the offseason.

3. The Tyrique Stevenson Fiasco Was The Moment The Season Ended

There is always one moment that occurs in a football season that can be pointed to as the start of the end of the season. To me, that moment for the Chicago Bears in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders. That was when the Bears had the game won, but due to a Hail Mary throw by Jayden Daniels, they ended up on the losing end. During that play, Stevenson had his back turned to the play for multiple seconds, where he was yelling at fans in the stands before sprinting toward where Bears and Commanders players were gathering. The worst part was Noah Brown the man who caught the touchdown was supposed to be covered by Stevenson.

Stevenson did apologize, but ever since that moment, the Bears haven’t won a game since. Stevenson even got benched in the aftermath and the lockeroom was not happy. The Bears culture never recovered and that game broke the team as a whole.

On The Bright Side – Gervon Dexter Still Has Potential

Oh boy, it’s tough to choose something positive with this team. To be honest, I am going to go the wildcard route here. I am going to shout out Gervon Dexter who the Bears used as a 2nd round draft pick in the 2023 draft. Dexter has been battling injuries this season, but he has played and looked a lot better this year than last season. He improved as both a run-stopper and a pass rusher, including getting 5 sacks this season. There is a lot to like with Dexter and with a change in coaching, he could improve further and be a piece to this defense.

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