CHICAGO (670 The Score) – For a few minutes of time Sunday at Soldier Field, it seemed as if there was a seminal moment in the making.
With the Bears trailing by a point late, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams made a series of plays to lead his team down the field for the potential game-winning field goal against the rival Packers.
Oh, what it could’ve been – the 22-year-old Williams leading a comeback to snap the Bears’ 10-game losing streak in the longstanding rivalry and potentially galvanize a struggling team desperately seeking a victory.
Instead, the Bears once again suffered heartbreak in another stunning defeat. Kicker Cairo Santos’ 46-yard game-winning field-goal attempt was blocked by Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks, who penetrated the A gap on long snapper Scott Daly to deflect the low boot just enough for it to come up short.
The Packers held on for a 20-19 win in what was another gut-wrenching loss for the Bears, who dropped to 4-6.
“I’d put those guys back on the field and do it all over again if we had to,” Williams said. “I believe in those guys. I believe in them over and over and over again.”
Over and over again, the Bears have found ways to lose this season. Their other last-second heartbreaking loss came three weeks prior, when the Commanders stole a 18-15 win on a game-winning 52-yard Hail Mary touchdown at the buzzer. It was the start of the Bears’ four-game losing slide that has a once-promising season spiraling now.
In the aftermath of their loss to the Commanders, the Bears have failed to respond. They fell flat in a 29-9 loss to the Cardinals in Arizona and then failed to show up in a 19-3 loss to the Patriots at home.
There has been finger-pointing and frustration voiced at Halas Hall, both publicly and privately. Just this past Tuesday, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired, marking the eighth assistant to depart in head coach Matt Eberflus’ three-year tenure in Chicago. Waldron’s firing underscored that Eberflus is on the hot seat himself.
What made the Bears’ loss to the Packers on Sunday especially disappointing was that Chicago had a better game plan and an improved performance. With new offensive coordinator Thomas Brown calling the plays, the Bears posted 391 yards of offense. Williams was 23-of-31 for 231 yards while adding 70 rushing yards.
Eberflus believed the Bears’ offense would improve “significantly” by replacing Waldron with Brown, and indeed it did in the first outing.
Unlike Waldron, Brown prioritized getting the football to the Bears’ best players. The players have bought in to Brown’s plan after seeming to check out on Waldron.
“The energy,” said Bears top receiver DJ Moore, who led the team with seven receptions. “We were out there moving the ball, and everybody was involved.”
The main problem for the Bears on Sunday was that their Eberflus-led defense continued to struggle. The Packers averaged 8.5 yards per play and faced a third-down situation just five times on offense.
With the Bears leading 19-14 with 4:17 remaining, the Packers marched 78 yards to the end zone in just four plays. The big play came when quarterback Jordan Love found receiver Christian Watson for a 60-yard gain on a crossing route toward the left sideline after Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson tripped. Two plays later, Love scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak from one yard out.
“A BS play,” Johnson said of Watson’s big gain.
The Bears still had an opportunity for the comeback victory with 2:59 remaining. Facing a third-and-19 at the two-minute warning after being sacked on back-to-back plays, Williams delivered a 16-yard strike to rookie receiver Rome Odunze to create a manageable fourth-and-3 from their own 37-yard line. With the game on the line, Williams then hit Odunze for a 21-yard completion down the right sideline, and suddenly a game-winning field goal was feasible.
After a 12-yard completion from Williams to veteran receiver Keenan Allen, the Bears lined up at the Packers’ 30-yard line with 35 seconds remaining. What followed was another coaching miscue by Eberflus, who elected not to push for further yardage after a two-yard run by running back Roschon Johnson to the 28-yard line.
With one timeout in his pocket, Eberflus had his offense stand idly as the clock ticked down to three seconds.
After Santos’ 46-yard field goal was blocked, Eberflus defended his latest ill-fated coaching decision.
“They were loading the box there,” Eberflus said of the Packers’ defense leading up to the field-goal attempt. “So, you can say that you can (run another play), for sure, maybe get a couple more yards. But you also risk fumbling and different things there.
“I felt very confident with where we were at that time – with the wind, where we were on the field.”
The occasion reminded of Eberflus’ blunder three weeks prior in Washington, as he had his Bears secondary play well off the line of scrimmage on the penultimate play of the game, allowing the Commanders a free 13-yard completion that set up the game-ending Hail Mary heave to get to the goal line.
In the wake of that loss, Eberflus stressed that his Bears would show resolve and respond. They still haven’t in the three games since, and their opportunity for a thrilling comeback victory Sunday was lost in a familiar stunning fashion.
The defeats are a growing burden on the Bears.
“I mean, it’s definitely frustrating,” Odunze said. “It takes a toll on you, for sure. Especially the attitude we had going into this game and the way that we played, I felt like we played a tough game and fought to the end. For that to be the outcome, it stings. It definitely stings. It’s one of those losses you carry with you and use as motivation for the next week.
“We’re that close. We’re fighting to the very end. And we need to continue to do so.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.