(670 The Score) For the fourth time in franchise history, the Bears are riding an eight-game losing streak. This one seems to have no end in sight.
The Bears lost 30-12 to the Vikings on Monday night. Here are the observations from Chicago dropping to 4-10.
Another unforgettable gaffe in a forgettable season
Former head coach Matt Eberflus' since-defunct HITS principle closed with a reference to "smart, situational football."
The Bears have been anything but smart this season, whether under Eberflus' watch or without him leading the way. They're a sloppy, undisciplined football team, and Monday featured the latest blunder.
With 8:23 remaining in the third quarter, Bears running back D’Andre Swift punched in a one-yard touchdown run – or so it seemed. The problem was reserve offensive lineman Doug Kramer forgot to report as eligible to the officiating crew as he lined up at fullback. He was flagged for a five-yard penalty.
Unlike in the Lions' infamous tackle eligibility controversy in a loss to the Cowboys late in the 2023 season, Kramer never even attempted to report. There was no miscommunication between him and the officiating crew. It was just another miscue by a misguided group.
Kramer has properly reported as an eligible extra offensive lineman on prior occasions. You know that because he was part of one of the most disastrous moments of this season. In the fourth quarter of the Bears' loss to the Commanders on Oct. 27, Chicago coughed up a fumble at the goal line when Kramer couldn't corral a handoff from quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears were 4-2 when they arrived in Washington for that much-anticipated game. They've lost eight straight since. This team never recovered from Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary heave into receiver Noah Brown's hands.
That set the Bears off on a spiral that hasn’t stopped. The locker room lost belief in Eberflus and the coaching staff and has further splintered with each passing defeat.
The Bears have lost six times in one-score games this season, including four times when they game came down to the final play. Lately, they haven't been competitive enough to produce close losses.
On Monday, the Bears were 1-for-12 on third-down conversions and committed nine penalties for 93 yards. They fell behind 10-0 after safety Kevin Byard, a nine-year NFL veteran, bit on a play-action fake that allowed Vikings superstar receiver Justin Jefferson to get plenty of room to haul in a touchdown. It looked like a rookie mistake by Byard.
Many of the Bears' mistakes were from rookie left tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who made his first NFL start Monday. It was an unmitigated disaster for Amegadjie, who was beaten all night long by the Vikings’ pressure.
The Vikings didn't play their best football but still plastered the Bears by three scores.
Starting mistake
In late August, Bears general manager Ryan Poles expressed confidence in his team's offensive line. In particular, he pointed to the unit’s depth as a perceived strength.
“This is probably the best depth I’ve ever had,” Poles said then. “I actually let one of the guys go on cutdowns and I was like, ‘Man, you did an excellent job. I wish we could keep you here.’ He said, ‘This is the deepest room I’ve ever been a part of.' So, we have more versatility, more depth. Shoot, we have 10 guys, so I feel comfortable. Obviously, you want your starting five to be healthy and ready to go, but I feel more confident in the depth of our offensive line than I ever have before.”
On Monday, the rookie Amegadjie, a third-round pick out of Yale, became the 12th Bears player to step in on Chicago's offensive line this season. His first career start came in a raucous road atmosphere and against an aggressive, talented Vikings defensive front.
Amegadjie wasn’t ready for the moment, and his poor play reflected poorly on Poles' past work.
So, which was the Bears' greater mistake: believing that the offensive line was deep or that Amegadjie was ready to play?
Either way, the Bears did a disservice to Amegadjie, who shouldn’t have been out there and stood little chance of success. The Bears are lucky Williams didn’t get seriously hurt Monday.
Tale of two teams
With an offer from the Bears on the table and continued interest from the Vikings as well, Poles made a big career decision back in January 2022. He accepted an offer to become Chicago's new general manager.
Poles believed the Bears had a brighter future, but that hasn't proved to be the case. The Bears are 14-34 since Poles took over. The Vikings are 32-16 in the same time frame.
Would the Bears’ fortunes be different with a general manager like Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and a head coach like Kevin O'Connell leading the way? Would the Vikings have enjoyed this type of success with Poles leading their football operations?
What’s clear is there’s a great void between the Bears and the Vikings.
Extra points
--- Monday marked just the fourth time in 14 games that the Bears’ opening drive didn’t end in a punt. They instead attempted a fourth-down conversion but failed. Chicago has scored 10 points on its opening series this season.
--- Second-year cornerback Tyrique Stevenson hauled in his second interception of the season, then went to the end zone of U.S. Bank Stadium and did a mock of the Vikings’ “Skol” chant. It was a poor look with the Bears down 10-0, and Stevenson should know better after his gaffe on a last-second Hail Mary in Washington.
--- On the Bears’ fourth-and-1 attempt late in the second quarter, they attempted a run to the left side. But left guard Teven Jenkins pulled to the right – opposite way from Swift’s path – and Amegadjie was pushed backward. It was a badly botched play by the Bears in a critical situation.
-- The Bears have been outscored a combined 53-0 in the first half of their past three games.
-- Perhaps no play has been more symbolic of Williams’ rookie season than the one that occurred with 13:18 remaining in the game. With the Bears facing a third-and-15 from the Vikings’ 21-yard line, Williams rolled out to his left to escape pressure, pulled off a spin move and a hurdle, then spun again before unleashing a ball to the end zone that fell incomplete. Amegadjie was also flagged for being an illegal man downfield on the play, a penalty the Vikings declined to force a field-goal attempt. Williams is trying everything he can.
--- We're watching one of the most miserable seasons in Chicago sports history. The Bears were supposed to be a fun, rising team taking a step toward sustained success. Instead, this Bears season has been marked by a long losing streak, stunning miscues, a coaching change and concern for a prized young quarterback prospect.
--- There are still three games still to go. Brace yourselves.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.