CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- Bears safety Eddie Jackson has seen enough of this.
The Bears' performance was poor enough in their 19-13 loss to the Vikings on Monday night at Soldier Field, and their body language through it all only exacerbated matters. Jackson watched as teammate after teammate returned to the west sideline of Soldier Field hanging his head. Receiver Allen Robinson even threw his helmet to the ground in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps the greatest attribute of the Bears since Matt Nagy arrived as head coach in 2018 has been their culture, but on this night, there was no player to lift his teammates up, to keep a collective belief alive.
Like the Bears' beleaguered offense, their belief appears to be greatly damaged, too. So Jackson gathered the Bears together inside their locker room after their fourth straight loss and offered a message.
"You got to the hold each other accountable," Jackson said, restating his message to teammates. "You see guys coming off the field, their head down, no one says nothing to them. That has to change.
"Have that mindset, that next-play mentality that no matter how bad it gets, we're going to continue to fight. That's what we need to fix right now."
In 2019, Nagy took consolation in how the Bears continued to fight down the stretch run of a lost season. They had lost four straight games and bottomed out at 4-6 before winning four of their final six games. There was something to be said for that fight. It was proof that Nagy never lost his team. Will the Bears continue fighting through this latest skid?
The Bears looked to be a team ready to pack it in and call quits on this season on Monday night, as they were left flustered by how it has gotten so bad. There are no solutions in store to save this season. The Bears seem to know that.
Back in mid-October, the Bears were 5-1 and believed better football was ahead. They have lost each game since and fallen to 5-5, with no end to this losing streak in sight.
Nagy hoped that handing over the play-calling duties would spark his struggling offense. But with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor calling plays instead, the Bears managed their just 149 yards of offense, the fewest in Nagy's tenure. They averaged just 3.0 yards per play.
The Bears recorded only 32 yards of offense in a second half that started with them taking a 13-7 lead on Cordarrelle Patterson's 104-yard kickoff return touchdown. Chicago went three-and-out and punted on the four possession that followed, then turned it over on downs twice to finish the game.
The Bears nearly turned in their fewest yards in 10 years -- in a one-score game that was there for the taking.
"It overshadows how well I thought our defense played and the different sudden changes that they had and how well our special teams played," Nagy said. "I was proud of those guys. So, two out of the three parts right now are playing well, and it's been a constant theme for us.
"It's been the same stuff over and over."
The Bears enter their bye week unsure of who their quarterback will be moving forward. Starter Nick Foles suffered a potentially serious injury with 37 seconds remaining in the game as he was slammed hard to the Soldier Field sod. The team believes it's a hip or leg injury, Nagy said. With backup Mitchell Trubisky (right shoulder) recovering from his own injury, third-string quarterback Tyler Bray could start Chicago's next game -- at Green Bay on Nov. 29.
If he gets healthy, Trubisky could be called upon to try to save the Bears' season, but it's hard to imagine the offense making any significant improvements. Chicago seems destined to miss the playoffs for the second straight year and perhaps finish with a losing record if its downward spiral continues.
Each new loss increases the potential for great change in the Bears' offseason. They were 12-4 and NFC North champions two years ago. Now this season is trending toward one that defines Nagy as a head coach and Ryan Pace as general manager. It could be what forces sweeping organization change.
How much worse will it get for the Bears? It seemed some players were wondering that themselves as they came back to the sideline hanging heads in dismay and disgust.
"Hold each other accountable," Jackson said. "And be there for your brother when he needs you the most."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
