Then one foggy Christmas Eve, a cameraman panned the Soldier Field crowd looking for cheering Bears fans to show on the scoreboard in the first quarter. The camera settled on a group holding signs. Before the shot cut away, a fan held up one with three words: “Eberflus Gets Coal.”
The sign-maker probably wasn’t swayed by Sunday’s 27-16 win, even if it was Eberflus’ third win in four tries and his fourth in six. Little the Bears did against a three-win Cardinals team was different from what fans have seen from them the last few months, from inconsistent quarterbacking by Justin Fields to head-scratching short-yardage calls by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy to a surprisingly stout defense.
All three are ultimately Eberflus’ responsibility. His claim that the Bears have momentum was supported, albeit barely, by the win. That’s not worth celebrating on a day the Lions — the Lions! — won their first NFC North title since 1993. But it keeps Eberflus in position to try to finish the season by winning three in a row and six out of seven in a bid to keep his job in 2024.
Eberflus said he wasn’t thinking about what wins mean for his future.
“Focus on one game — and this game coming up,” he said. “That’s all you can do in this business.”
Eberflus’ secret sauce is trying to extract effort from his players by grading games and practices as though they were algebra tests. Players quitting on him would invalidate his H.I.T.S. system. The Bears’ loss to the Browns last week shoved them to the far outskirts of the playoff picture. But with a losing record guaranteed, they still held the rope. Professionals are paid to try hard each game. But each passing week in the NFL offers proof that not all teams do.
“Whether we’re 15-0 or 0-15, I expect the guys to — and they expect me to — play like it’s the game we need to get us to the playoffs, to the Super Bowl,” defensive lineman Justin Jones said. “Play your game like it’s your last. . . . Everybody came out here ready to play. That’s a testament to the guys in the huddle and the coaches.”
Running back Khalil Herbert credited Eberflus for the energy he brings to the team each week.
“The guys love playing for him,” he said.
The bar for success was low entering Sunday — the Cardinals were the third-worst team, with the second-worst defense — and the Bears treated them the way they were supposed to, at first. They jumped to a 21-0 lead behind bullying line play before, predictably, allowing a rally in the fourth quarter.
The Bears were lucky to be facing a team too inept to take advantage. Eberflus’ team entered with a well-deserved reputation for turning leads into losses — a 21-point lead against the Broncos with about 16 minutes to play, a 12-point lead against the Lions with about three minutes to play and, just last week, a 10-point lead against the Browns with about 13 minutes left.
Playing with a 14-point lead Sunday, Fields inexplicably threw an interception in the end zone on first-and-10 from the Cardinals’ 14 with about 10 minutes left. The Cardinals took over and drove down the field, but only after safety Jaquan Brisker was called for a holding penalty on an incompletion on fourth-and-two.
Three plays after the Cardinals were given new life, quarterback Kyler Murray threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to Greg Dortch.
After forcing an incompletion on the two-point conversion to stay ahead by eight, the Bears went three-and-out. Getsy was too cute by half on third-and-one again, calling a direct snap to running back Roschon Johnson, who was stuffed for no gain. The Bears punted but eventually forced a turnover on downs.
“Did what they had to do to get this win,” Eberflus said.
Time will tell if that’s enough.
