LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — As the Bears have seen their defensive identity take shape this season, their offensive struggles have also come under scrutiny.
The Bears rank 22nd in the NFL in both scoring offense and total offense. In a 20-17 loss to the Browns on Sunday, the Bears managed only 236 yards and went three-and-out eight times. With that, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has continued to be heavily criticized.
On Wednesday, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus declined to offer an in-depth assessment of Getsy’s work to this point as the Bears sit at 5-9 with three games remaining in the regular season.
“I love Luke,” Eberflus said. “He’s a great leader in terms of in the room. I’ll evaluate everything at the end.”
The Bears have averaged 20.5 points per game this season under the direction of Getsy, whom the defensive-minded Eberflus tabbed as the leader of his offense shortly after he was hired in January 2022. Chicago has scored 20 points or fewer in nine of its 14 games this season, going 2-7 in those contests.
Quarterback Justin Fields has showcased progress in playing with a stronger supporting cast this season, though that hasn't consistently been reflected in the Bears’ offense as a whole. The 24-year-old Fields, who's in his third NFL season, has thrown for 1,976 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 10 games. Two of those interceptions came on Hail Mary throws.
When asked about his own job performance recently, Getsy pointed to his belief that the Bears have made strides on offense.
“There’s no pressure or urgency more than I put on myself, that we put on ourselves as a staff to make this as good of a unit as possible,” Getsy said. “There’s got to be progress each week, and I feel like there has been.
“Now, it’s not consistent enough, that’s for sure, for where we want to go and what we want to be. But it’s about that progress.”
The Bears are 8-23 in Eberflus' tenure in Chicago, and his job security is uncertain heading into this offseason. That will be an evaluation for president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles to make as the season winds down.
If Eberflus is retained for a third season, the Bears will then need to make a decision on Getsy's future with the organization.
“Looking at that as a whole in terms of the expectations, you want to focus on what we’re going to do this week,” Eberflus said. “We’ve had some improvements during the course of the year on all sides of the ball. It’s critical that we focus on being the best we can be this week against this opponent right here, right now and have our feet right here.
“We’re going to assess all those things at the end, and we’ve got to play these games right here, right now. So, we’re going to focus on being our best when our best is required, and that’s required today.”
Injury report
The Bears were missing several key players in practice Wednesday at Halas Hall. Receiver Darnell Mooney (illness), left guard Teven Jenkins (concussion), pass rusher DeMarcus Walker (leg), running back Travis Homer (hamstring), cornerback Jaylon Jones (calf), linebacker Noah Sewell (knee) and receiver Equanimeous St. Brown (pectoral) didn't practice.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.