The Chicago Bears started the 2024 NFL season at 4-2, looking like they would be strong contenders to at least secure an NFC wild-card berth. Now after losing four consecutive games to fall to 4-6 after Sunday's heartbreaking 20-19 home loss to the rival Packers, they have little chance of staying in the playoff picture.
The Bears have the misfortune of playing in the league's toughest division, the NFC North. They also have lost some key games during the skid.
Here's looking at Chicago's current position in the conference standings and what's led to the team going from pleasant surprise to major disappointment.
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Bears playoff picture
The Bears are down to the No. 12 spot in the NFC after losing to the Packers. They are behind the No. 11 Buccaneers, who had a Week 11 bye and the better conference record, 4-3 vs. 2-3. They are 2.5 games behind the Commanders for the No. 7 and third wild-card position.
Losing at Washington in Week 8 on the "Hail Maryland" from Jayden Daniels put Chicago's losing streak in motion, and it also gave away a much-needed head-to-head tiebreaker. The blowout loss to Arizona in Week 9 also can come into play should the Cardinals go from leading the NFC West to the wild-card mix. Sunday's loss to the Packers put the Bears at 0-1 in division play.
That means the Bears still need to go to Lambeau Field to face Green Bay (7-3) and also have a pair of games each with Detroit (9-1) and Minnesota (8-2). That's five of the final games. The other two are against San Francisco and Seattle, so Chicago's closing slate is brutal through and through, giving the fourth-place team little chance of making the playoffs.
3 reasons why the Bears will miss the playoffs
1. They wasted Caleb Williams' rookie season
Shane Waldron was not the right offensive coordinator to get Williams comfortable yet aggressive as a rookie. He didn't play to his improvisational athletic strengths and big arm from the get-go, minimizing the increased talent at the offensive skill positions. New OC Thomas Brown is left to pick up the pieces when it's too late.
The Commanders attached Daniels to Kliff Kingsbury and the Patriots hired Alex Van Pelt for Drake May. The Broncos already knew Bo Nix's style of passing was a great fit for Sean Payton and Joe Lombardi. The Bears tried to square-peg Williams in a round hole after Waldron wasn't a good fit for Russell Wilson in Seattle. Williams has taken for lumps holding on the ball and yielding too many sacks, but they should have made him more at home with running and deep passing vs. forcing short-to-intermediate action.
2. Their run defense has hurt them more than expected
The Bears have some accomplished pass rushers and tough corners as their defensive strength is against the pass, but that's little help if teams keep exploiting their weak run defense and wearing down their front.
Chicago went into Week 11 vs. Green Bay giving up on average 133 rushing yards per game, No. 24 in the NFL. They contained the Packers to only 103 yards, but they were burned in the red zone twice for TDs by Josh Jacobs and Jordan Love. They haven't gotten the needed sacks and turnovers because of the weakness.
3. Matt Eberflus is not a winning coach
The Bears lost on a Hail Mary and missed a makeable field-goal attempt to sandwich their losing streak, but they also lost one-possession games to the Texans and Colts early while avoiding a similar fate vs. the Titans and Rams. They also were poorly prepared for winnable games vs. the Cardinals and Patriots.
Otherwise, two of the Bears' four wins have come against the Panthers and Jaguars. The Bears are inconsistent with their game plans and aren't playing the most motivated or inspired football. Scheming ahead of games and adjusting to situations in games are both weaknesses. Williams got his new OC as a duct-tape solution, but given the issues on offense, defense, and now special teams, the Bears need a head-coaching change while their QB is still on his rookie contract.
