Top candidate reportedly wants Matt Eberflus' job

Matt Eberflus had one of the worst games of his coaching career last Sunday. The Chicago Bears played poorly for three quarters despite having two weeks to prepare. Nevertheless, the team put everything together in the fourth half to make a game. However, three brutal coaching decisions ultimately cost them. First, there was the inexplicable decision to hand the ball to Doug Kramer, a backup lineman, at the goal line, which was promptly tampered with. Then the play was softly covered before the Hail Mary, giving Washington 13 yards to put them in range. Finally, they refused to call a timeout despite clear evidence that the Bears had failed in their responsibility to defend the Hail Mary (i.e. Tyrique Stevenson).

Eberflus' situational awareness was on full display, and it was ugly. This is the fifth time he has lost a lead with less than three minutes to play and the fourth time his defense has allowed a touchdown. The ongoing confusion and sloppiness on offense isn't helping him either. Now that it appears that the Bears finally have a quarterback in Caleb Williams, the calls for Eberflus' job are getting louder. It probably won't help him that Ben Johnson, the Detroit Lions' offensive coordinator and widely considered the top 2025 candidate, wants the Bears job.

MMQB's Albert Breer confirmed this on ESPN 1000 with Kap & J.Hood.

“He was definitely looking at the job in Chicago last year. There were some people who said that was what he wanted. Apparently it didn’t open.”

Matt Eberflus is running out of excuses.

This is the third year. Anyone who follows the NFL knows that head coaches should be winning football games by now. With the score at 4:3, Eberflus managed that to a certain extent. However, there are some serious concerns. The Bears benefited from a soft schedule early in the season. They are 0-2 against teams with winning records and 1-13 during Eberflus' time as head coach. It doesn't help that they are 3-17 on the road and have zero road wins in Sunday games. Nobody denies that man can train effort. The problem is that it takes a lot more to be a successful head coach.

Johnson has been the offensive coordinator in Detroit for three years. They finished 4th overall in 2022, 3rd overall last year and are 1st in the standings this season. Jared Goff is playing the best football of his life. Pairing Johnson with Williams seems like such an obvious decision. His offensive prowess would almost certainly ensure things are sorted out on that side of the ball, and he would also inherit a talented defense. His interest in Chicago is easy to understand. Matt Eberflus still has ten games left to prevent that.