In an interview with Esquire for the magazine's April/May edition cover story, Caleb Williams admitted that former coach Matt Eberflus's handling of an 18-15 loss to the Washington Commanders, in which Washington won on a Hail Mary pass in the final seconds, "annoyed" players in the Bears locker room.
"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 said, via the Chicago Sun-Times.
In the Week 8 loss to the Commanders, the Bears, clinging to a 15-12 lead with 27 seconds left, somehow allowed Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels to complete two passes, gaining a combined 24 yards on the two plays to set up a possible, last-second heave for the end zone.
In what's now an infamous play, Daniels heaved the ball for a game-winning, 52-yard score, which was hauled in by Commanders receiver Noah Brown. Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, whose defensive assignment was Brown, had his back turned to the field and was taunting fans at the beginning of the play.
After the game, Eberflus denied the importance of the completed passes before the Hail Mary play, and also seemed to chalk up the game-winning heave to "execution," seemingly pointing the finger at his players.
But the Hail Mary loss was far from the only Bears defeat that left fans looking at Eberflus in a questionable light. There was a November loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which a questionable Eberflus decision came back to bite the Bears. There was a nationally televised Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions, in which Eberflus's questionable clock management cost Chicago a chance to at least tie the game.
Bears players reportedly confronted Eberflus after the Thanksgiving Day loss, which ultimately resulted in his firing just days later.
For Williams—who said he was "beat up, mentally, physically and spiritually" by the defeats—the damage was already done. But the Bears second-year quarterback added that he's glad he went through these experiences, tough as they were.
"I think those losses were pretty important for me and my growth," Williams told Esquire. "To go on a losing streak, to be in this position and be at the helm of it, was definitely important for me. Just being able to see how I need to be when times are bad—I’m going to work my tail off to never be in that situation again."
With a new coach Ben Johnson in tow, things are certainly looking up for Williams and the Bears in 2025.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Caleb Williams Says Matt Eberflus 'Annoyed' Bears With Handling of Hail Mary Loss.
