It’s a dreary debate as to whether the Bears’ 31-26 meltdown against the Lions on Sunday was their worst of the season. They blew a 12-point lead with 4:15 left, but then again, they lost at home to the Broncos last month after leading by 21 late in the third quarter.
Good teams don’t have those debates. Here are three takeaways from the Bears’ latest debacle:
Eberflus flustered
How many of these can coach Matt Eberflus preside over before the Bears run out of patience? There were a lot of reasons for this collapse, but they all trace back to Eberflus. He calls the defense, he has the authority to override offensive play calls and he’s the one who ultimately must find a way to steer the Bears out of a tailspin. He’s never won back-to-back games, he’s never won an NFC North game and he’s 6-22 as head coach.
Draft potential
The biggest positive for the Bears is that they should have prime draft resources to address their shortcomings. The Panthers’ pick, which goes to the Bears, remains slotted for No. 1 after the Cowboys shredded them, and the Giants’ win slid the Bears’ own pick to No. 4.
Goff’s off day
The Bears did a great job pressuring Lions quarterback Jared Goff into some bad decisions and three interceptions, but they can’t count on that again in the rematch at Soldier Field next month. Goff has been excellent with the Lions and figured the Bears out in crunch time.
