The Chicago Bears going into a tailspin following their Hail Mary failure vs. the Washington Commanders made for a convenient narrative last season. Turns out, there may have been some truth to that story.
Caleb Williams — in an interview with Esquire — admitted the team was “annoyed by” the way former Bears coach Matt Eberflus handled the situation, per the Chicago Sun-Times.
“How [Eberflus] handled it at that time, for that game, was, I think, one of the things that throughout the locker room people talked about and were annoyed by,” Williams told the magazine.
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The Bears appeared to be on the verge of improving to 5-2 before disaster struck. With Chicago leading 15-12, Jayden Daniels and the Commanders needed a miracle to pull off a comeback. With six seconds left, Daniels completed a 13-yard pass to Terry McLaurin to put the Commanders in Hail Mary territory. On the play’s final game, Daniels completed his pass to Noah Brown after it was tipped by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The Bears lost the contest 18-15, and then lost their next nine games.
Eberflus faced a myriad of questions after the loss. Why did the Bears sit back and allow McLaurin to pick up an easy catch? Why did the team allow Daniels to scramble around on the final play? What happened with Stevenson? Eberflus defended the team’s actions, saying that particular play was practiced “100 times.”
Video later emerged showing Stevenson taunting Commanders fans at the beginning of the play, which caused him to be out of position when he tipped the Hail Mary into Brown’s arms. Stevenson apologized for his actions. The cornerback did not start the following week as part of his punishment.
Bears players had plenty more to be annoyed about as the season went on, including a botched end of game sequence on Thanksgiving. With the Bears in field-goal range down three points, the team failed to get a final play off before the clock expired. Some Bears questioned that decision publicly. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was reportedly furious after the game and let Eberflus hear about it in the locker room.
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Eberflus defended how things played out on the field and preached resiliency to the players after the game. He was fired the next day.
Caleb Williams shed tears after rookie season ended
Williams also admitted he cried after a tough rookie season, per Esquire. Williams said he was drained “mentally, physically [and] spiritually” after the team’s struggles. When he got home after the year was over, Williams got into his bed and “dropped a few tears.”
It was a mixed bag for Williams during his rookie season. While his numbers — 20 touchdowns to 6 interceptions — look solid, he struggled to make quick decisions. Williams was sacked a league-leading 68 times. While the offensive line was responsible for some of those plays, Williams came under fire for holding the ball too long.
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Things could be better in Year 2. Williams said he experienced plenty of “growth” as a result of the team’s struggles. To ensure that growth is realized, the Bears hired offensive guru Ben Johnson to replace Eberflus.
Johnson might be a first-year coach, but he comes with immense expectations. While he may not live up to all of those immediately, if he’s even marginally better at late-game management, Bears players and fans should have a lot less to be annoyed about.
