The Chicago Bears were feeling good — really good — as they appeared to be improving to 5-2 with a low-scoring win over the Washington Commanders. And then Jayden Daniels hurled a hail mary as time expired, elating Commanders fans, depressing Bears fans, and potentially angering rookie quarterback Caleb Williams’ father.
Since the loss, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has become the prime target for fans and analysts’ outrage, particularly after his post-game press conference during which he defended his decision to not call a timeout before the final play and claimed that the second-to-last play, a 13-yard completion that allowed Washington to reach near midfield ahead of the hail mary, did not matter.
The third-year coach has been roundly criticized for a lack of accountability by those in the media and Bears fans, and it even appeared that Carl Williams, Caleb’s dad, got in on the action.
On X, formerly Twitter, Carl Williams reposted yesterday a post by the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, who shared a video of Commanders defensive coordinator being critical of his own performance on Sunday. Carl Williams used hashtags “#accountability” and “#realcoach” in the post, leading many fans to believe it was a not-so-subtle shot at Eberflus. Carl Williams deleted the post soon thereafter.
Shane Riordan of 670 The Score, reached out to Carl Williams, who said that his post was not directed at anyone.
“‘Innocent comment,’ Carl Williams purportedly said. “‘I like what the Commanders are doing over there. I know some of those guys. Nothing to do with the Bears.’”
The tweet has since been deleted, but I talked to Caleb Williams’s dad Carl. He tells me—
“Innocent comment. I like what the Commanders are doing over there. I know some of those guys. Nothing to do with the Bears.”https://t.co/T5GXWyYPga pic.twitter.com/63Ezxu2gNe
— Shane Riordan (@shane_riordan) October 31, 2024
While many will likely not believe that, the Williams family is from the Washington, D.C. area — Caleb graduated from Gonzaga College High School — and Carl is the part owner of athletic performance training facility Athletic Republic Capitol Region near D.C.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus seemingly on hot seat after heartbreaking loss to Commanders
The post, even if truly ‘innocent,’ would seem to be just another blow for Eberflus, who remained the head coach of the Bears after “extensive meetings” in January. General manager Ryan Poles told the media that “stability” played a factor in retaining Eberflus, whose offensive staff changed dramatically following the 7-10 season.
In parts of three years as Chicago’s coach, Eberflus is 14-27. While it would appear on the surface that he is set to lead the Bears to another year-over-year improvement — the team won four additional games from their 2022 total last season — Chicago has the toughest remaining schedule of any team in the NFL.
In large part due to the overall strength of the NFC North, the Bears face an uphill battle to reach eight wins this year despite needing just four wins in 10 tries. Chicago has yet to play any of its divisional rivals, whose records combine to be 17-5 and all of whom would make the playoffs if the season ended today.
Additionally, the Bears will play the San Francisco 49ers, perennial Super Bowl contenders who have been plagued by injuries so far, the surprisingly competitive Arizona Cardinals, and an up-and-down Seattle Seahawks team.
While the Bears would seem to have an outside shot at the postseason because of the brutal slate of games left on their schedule, they will need to win this week to alleviate some of the pressure on themselves and their head coach.
Chicago is set to host the New England Patriots on Sunday. The Patriots (2-6) are the only remaining Bears opponent that currently has a losing record, and despite a surprising win vs. the New York Jets last weekend, New England is considered to be one of the very worst teams in the NFL.
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