Four weeks ago, I wrote the following about the Bears’ trip to Detroit: “This game in Motown may be one of Matthew Eberflus’ last chances to show Chicago’s powers-that-be that the Bears are in good hands.” Since then, he’s shown exactly that.
This defense is playing with their eyes on fire, both by blitzing the QB fearlessly and dutifully executing assignments in coverage. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
This Chicago offense sputters at times, but between each sputter Justin Fields, DJ Moore, and Cole Kmet are producing explosive plays that move the ball down the field in the chunks they need to set up points for their defense.
Add the two units together, and you’ve got yourself a winning recipe. Because of that, against all odds, these Chicago Bears are in the playoff hunt.
But with a 5-8 record at this point in the year, the Bears need to win every game from here on out if they want to have any hopes at a playoff run — luckily, this weekend they face a Cleveland Browns team that’s been ravaged by injuries. As you’ll see below, they’re a team in rough shape.
#Browns #Bears injury report for Wednesday: pic.twitter.com/x5uqJe1JUj
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) December 13, 2023
Matt Eberflus has a chance to send Chicago into a frenzy by beating a weakened team on the road and kickstarting a playoff push — everything is on the line for Eberflus from here on out, and I expect him to coach like it. That should make for some exciting Bears football, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Nick and I dive into this topic and plenty more within the latest episode of Bear With Us, including…
- Where do the Bears match up well with Cleveland on defense? What weak links in the Browns’ offense can they exploit?
- How does Chicago’s offense match up with what’s left of Cleveland’s defense? How well does the Bears’ offense really need to perform?
- A review of Matt Eberflus’ defense against the Lions, including the driving forces behind Chicago’s success.
- A look at what Justin Fields was (and wasn’t) during last Sunday’s game
- An outline of Chicago’s playoff scenarios, including the teams you’ll need to root for outside of Cleveland this weekend.
- And much, much more…
It’s one of our best episodes yet — check it out and let me know what you think!
Your Turn: How do you feel about this weekend?