Chicago Bears

It's a good thing the Chicago Bears were on the road, because if they had been at Soldier Field, their fans would have let them hear it after their 12-30 loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday.

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the Bears struggled to move the ball on their first few offensive possessions, failing to score and trailing the Vikings 13-0 at halftime, setting the tone for the next 30 minutes of play.

The loss dropped the Bears to 4-10 on the season, securing another losing campaign for the team, while the Vikings improved to 12-2 after taking care of business.

Williams finished the game completing 18-of-31 for 191 yards, one touchdown and a fumble while taking two sacks. On the other end, Sam Darnold finished completing 24-of-40 for 231 yards, one touchdown and an interception.

NFL fans and Bears faithful alike flooded social media to vent their frustration with Williams and the Bears' struggling offense.

The Bears kicked off the first half by failing to convert on a fourth down, followed by a fumble by Jonathan Greenard, a punt and another failed fourth-down conversion. This set the stage for the Vikings to easily grab the early lead.

Vikings kicker Will Reichard kicked off the scoring, knocking down a 52-yard field goal early in the first quarter and giving Minnesota a 3-0 lead. Seven minutes later, wide receiver Justin Jefferson would catch a seven-yard pass from Darnold to advance the lead 10-0 to round out the first quarter.

Williams and the Bears failed to get on the scoreboard in the first half, while Reichart added another field goal for the Vikings, extending their lead to 13-0 at halftime.

The 13-point deficit proved to be too much for the Bears to crawl back from heading into the second half.

Bears kicker Cairo Santos put Chicago on the board out of halftime with a 29-yard field goal, bringing the score to 13-3.

The Vikings continued to twist the knife as running back Aaron Jones ran it in to close out the third quarter. Cam Akers added another score, effectively sealing the game, despite a late touchdown effort from veteran Keenan Allen.

With another loss in the books, the Bears extended their losing streak to eight games. They will aim to secure their first win since Week 6 when they face the red-hot 12-2 Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The long-term hopes of the Chicago Bears rest on whether Caleb Williams lives up to his potential, so it comes as no surprise the team is reportedly going to look at candidates with an offensive background when deciding on its next head coach.

"They're going to go on a search to find a partner for Caleb Williams, because he becomes the most important asset they have to sell to a coach," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Monday Night Countdown. "So you have to figure that they're going to want to get some type of offensive-minded head coach that can get the best out of Caleb Williams and develop him to the fullest potential."

Schefter also noted Chicago is expected to reach out to Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson at some point during the interview process.

He continued, adding, "Many people around the league believe that when the coach hire is made, that it will be made with the offense in mind and that that coach will have some type of offensive background, because it's the most important thing that this organization will do."

Johnson has been a highly regarded coaching prospect since last offseason, although he chose to remain with the Lions and chase a Super Bowl after they lost in the NFC Championship Game to end their 2023 campaign.

He figures to once again be a sought-after candidate after the 2024 season, and ESPN's Dan Graziano previously reported the Bears, New York Jets and New Orleans Saints are all expected to be interested.

From Chicago's perspective, it needs to break the cycle.

Williams was the third consecutive first-round pick at quarterback it partnered with a coach on the hot seat. First, there was Mitchell Trubisky and John Fox. Then, it was Justin Fields and Matt Nagy. This year, it was Williams with Matt Eberflus.

The only way to break the cycle is by stopping it early enough in Williams' career with the correct hire at head coach.

Firing Eberflus during the USC product's rookie season gives the Bears the opportunity to do just that, as Williams still has plenty of time to live up to the expectations that were put in place when he was the No. 1 overall pick.

He has also flashed his potential at times during his rookie campaign and will still be working with talented playmakers in 2025 and beyond in DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet, among others.

Hiring the right offensive-minded head coach will help the Bears get the most out of those pieces and put Williams in a better position to succeed than he was in during the 2024 season when Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron were both fired.

And if that happens, Chicago will finally have the franchise quarterback it has searched for throughout the majority of its history.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams isn't used to the losing that he's experienced throughout his rookie season.

"This is my first time being part of something like this, of losing and this streak going, so I ask questions to the guys that may have lost a bunch of games in a row like this or had losing seasons," Williams told the media on Thursday (h/t Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times). "I ask them questions because the more knowledge that I have prepares me for the future if this ever comes close to something like this again."

The Bears opened up the regular season by winning four of their first six games, but they're currently riding a streak of seven consecutive losses that has dropped them to 4-9.

Williams didn't experience much losing during his college days, finishing with a 27-10 record in 37 appearances with Oklahoma and USC.

While the Trojans finished with a relatively disappointing 8-5 record in 2023, especially with the quarterback coming off a Heisman Trophy win, it still didn't come close to the stretch of defeats that he's endured in Chicago.

For his Bears teammates that have been with the organization prior to the team's 2024 campaign, losing streaks are more familiar. Chicago has experienced a stretch of at least four consecutive defeats in every season dating back to 2019.

The Bears' current streak has been especially disheartening due to the nature of their losses, including a Hail Mary defeat at the hands of the Washington Commanders in Week 8 and poor clock management in the fourth quarter that resulted in a 23-20 win by the Detroit Lions in Week 13.

Following the loss to Detroit that extended the streak to six, head coach Matt Eberflus was fired.

One silver lining for the Bears has been Williams, as he's continued to improve as his inaugural season in the NFL has progressed. Over his last three starts, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft has completed 63.3 percent of his throws for 730 yards and seven touchdowns without an interception.

On the season as a whole, Williams has racked up 2,746 passing yards and 16 scores while tossing five interceptions. He's also been sacked a league-leading 56 times.

While the 23-year-old has looked more comfortable in the pocket as of late, he's still adjusting to the Bears' losing streak.

Before agreeing to become the head football coach at the University of North Carolina on Wednesday, Bill Belichick reportedly considered the Chicago Bears to have the NFL's most desirable head coaching vacancy.

According to ESPN's Seth Wickersham, Belichick and some of his former New England Patriots assistants in Josh McDaniels, Matt Patricia and Michael Lombardi met weekly over Zoom during the 2024 NFL season to break down games and discuss the league landscape.

They reportedly came to the conclusion that the "most attractive" NFL head coaching job available was that of the Bears, however, they all agreed that the Bears likely wouldn't have interest in Belichick due to their desire to bring in an offensive-minded coach to help guide quarterback Caleb Williams.

Wickersham noted that most people around the NFL agree with that sentiment as well, and feel the Bears will make a run at Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their next head coach following the firing of Matt Eberflus.

From 2000 to 2023, Belichick was head coach of the Patriots, and he established himself as arguably the greatest head coach in NFL history during that time.

After going a pedestrian 36-44 in five seasons as the Cleveland Browns' head coach, Belichick went 266-121 in New England.

That run included 17 AFC East titles, a 30-12 playoff record, nine trips to the Super Bowl and six Super Bowl wins.

Despite all of his success, Belichick and the Pats agreed to part ways at the conclusion of the 2023 season, which saw the team go 4-13 and miss the playoffs for a second consecutive campaign.

Belichick was expected to be a hot commodity during the hiring cycle, and although he had some interviews, no NFL team opted to hire him.

Still, the expectation was that he would give it another shot at the end of the 2024 NFL season, and the fact that he met with his assistants weekly suggests that it was his plan initially.

The Bears, if they were interested, could have provided the 72-year-old Belichick with a great deal of upside.

Although Chicago has now dropped seven straight games after a 4-2 start, and hasn't made the playoffs since 2020, there are quality pieces in place that suggest a come-up could be on the horizon.

Williams, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, has show flashes of brilliance during his rookie season, plus he has some quality weapons such as wide receivers D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze, running back D'Andre Swift and tight end Cole Kmet.

On defense, the Bears have plenty of talent as well, including defensive linemen Gervon Dexter and Montez Sweat, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Although Belichick removed himself from the equation and will now coach collegiately for the first time in his illustrious career, there will undoubtedly be a ton of interest in Chicago's head coaching job in the weeks to come.

Following the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus, the Chicago Bears reportedly are eyeing a potential replacement who would be a familiar face for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury "is a name that keeps coming up in Chicago, especially because of his previous relationship with Williams at USC." Kingsbury was a senior offensive analyst for the Trojans during Williams' final collegiate season in 2023.

With Kingsbury on staff at USC, Williams registered a career-best 170.1 quarterback rating and threw for 3,333 yards, 30 touchdowns and five interceptions while also adding a career-high 11 rushing scores. If the two of them are reunited, it should inspire confidence that the 23-year-old will be able to overcome his struggles and inconsistencies from his up-and-down first year in the NFL.

Williams has thrown for 2,746 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions while taking a beating behind Chicago's lackluster offensive line, as he's been sacked a league-high 56 times. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud ranks second with 41 sacks, illustrating the unprecedented pressure Williams has been facing this season.

Graziano noted that the prospect of coaching Williams could be attractive to most offensive-minded coaches. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was named as a potential target for the Bears, and former Tennesee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel is also expected to be in the mix if he brings the right offensive coordinator along with him.

"I still expect the Bears to take a run at Johnson, and it's possible they could get him," Graziano stated. "I believe Johnson will be a hot candidate, but Williams should be a draw for any creative offensive mind -- including any who might be inclined to join a potential Vrabel staff there."

For now, the Bears (4-9) will be focused on ending their seven-game losing streak as they prepare for Monday night's matchup against the Minnesota Vikings (11-2).

Chicago Bears star rookie quarterback Caleb Williams didn't mince words after the team's 38-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

"We got our ass kicked today and there's no way around it," Williams told reporters after the game.

The loss dropped the Bears to 4-9 and extended their losing streak to seven streak games. Chicago trailed 24-0 at halftime and was limited to a minuscule 162 yards of total offense while allowing a whopping 452 yards by San Francisco. The Bears were outgained 319-4 in the first half alone.

Williams threw for 134 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 17 of his 23 passes. He also added 27 rushing yards. However, he faced relentless pressure as he was sacked seven times and lost a fumble. It was the fifth time this season that he's endured five or more sacks in a single game, and his league-high 56 sacks taken this season are the most for a Chicago quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, per ESPN.

The Bears' performance was especially disappointing after the team fired head coach Matt Eberflus following its loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day and hoped to begin moving in a positive direction under interim head coach Thomas Brown.

Unfortunately, things don't appear to be turning around anytime soon in Chicago. The team's final four opponents have a combined record of 40-12.

The Bears will try to end their skid when they meet the Minnesota Vikings (11-2) in an NFC North matchup on Monday Night Football on Dec. 16.

The Chicago Bears proved on Sunday that their problems extend beyond former head coach Matt Eberflus, who the team fired last week.

The Bears lost to an injury-ridden San Francisco 49ers squad 38-13 in one of their worst performances of the year, extending their losing streak to seven games.

Chicago had one of the worst offensive first halves in NFL history with just four yards of total offense. Things got a bit better in the second half, but it was still a mostly forgettable game. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had just 134 passing yards and two touchdowns on 18-of-24 passing, taking seven sacks for 46 yards lost.

On the ground, the Bears had just 68 yards from running back D'Andre Swift and Williams.

Chicago's offense wasn't the only unit struggling as its defense allowed the 49ers to do whatever they wanted. Brock Purdy finished with 325 passing yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-25 passing. Tight end George Kittle had his best game of the season with 151 yards on six receptions.

After the embarrassing loss, fans called out the Bears on social media.

Chicago likely knew its problems wouldn't be fixed upon Eberflus' firing, but Sunday's rout isn't a good sign that the Bears will be able to salvage what is left of the season by finishing strong. The Bears will get a handful of tough NFC North matchups to close out the year, which will be the chance to either gain some momentum heading into the offseason or end the year feeling demoralized.

Amid a resurgence in his play since Thomas Brown took over as the team's offensive play-caller, Keenan Allen's future with the Chicago Bears looks more open than it did earlier in the season.

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's practice, Allen said he is "absolutely" open to staying with the Bears in 2025 when he becomes a free agent after this season.

The Bears acquired Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers last offseason. He is playing in the final season of his four-year, $80 million contract that was originally signed in September 2020.

Even though Allen had been hindered by injuries in each of the previous two seasons, he was still a very productive player in Los Angeles. He had 108 catches for 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games during the 2023 campaign.

Chicago already had D.J. Moore in place at the time of the deal, so Allen didn't need to step in as the No. 1 option. The Bears added to their receiver room during the draft by using the No. 9 pick to select Rome Odunze.

All of these pass-catching options plus a defense that finished 2023 very strong led to some analysts believing that Caleb Williams was walking into one of the best situations ever for a No. 1 pick in the draft.

Those takes have proven to be overly optimistic about how good the overall talent was in Chicago, particularly the offensive line that has caused all sorts of problems. It didn't help that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron wasn't doing anything to give the rookie quarterback easy reads before the Bears fired Waldron on Nov. 12.

Allen was among the Bears players having a disappointing season with Waldron calling plays. He had 241 yards and two touchdowns in seven games before the change at offensive coordinator.

Since Brown took over play-calling duties, Allen has 200 yards in three games. His two best games by receiving yards have come in the past two weeks.

Given Allen's age—he will turn 33 on April 27—the Bears might look to add a younger option this offseason, but his recent performance is at least giving them a reason to believe he can be a solid contributor for this offense next year.

Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has endured a difficult start to his rookie year, which has included the team firing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Nov. 12 before letting go of head coach Matt Eberflus last Friday.

However, the No. 1 overall draft pick is taking it all in stride as he looks to further his development.

"I think this is a steppingstone of development, to be able to have all of this in my first year," Williams told ESPN's Courtney Cronin.

"I wouldn't say that I'm happy for it. Having these moments is definitely something that will help me in the future. Having these situational moments that it's hard to rep in practice, having some of these moments, having your coach fired or coaches fired, and people being promoted. You know, things like that all happening within a couple weeks of each other, you know I think it would help me in the long run being able to handle all of this, handle this first year and being able to grow from it."

The Bears' coaching turmoil has gone down amid the team's six-game losing streak, which began with the team giving up a game-ending Hail Mary touchdown to the Washington Commanders and continued on Thanksgiving after the infamous time-management catastrophe that ended up being the final moment of Eberflus' coaching career in Chicago.

It's been a tough time for the Bears and the Williams, who has had an up-and-down rookie season, as many first-year players do.

But to his credit, Williams has fared well in his last three games, throwing for 827 yards and five touchdowns (no interceptions) while rushing for 142 more yards.

That solid stretch notably coincided with Thomas Brown being promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator. Now the 38-year-old is the Bears' interim head coach for the season's final five games.

Williams has dealt with changing voices in leadership, but it's possible that Brown sticks around. Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Brown will get a "real look" at the permanent head coaching gig this offseason. One NFL executive also told Cronin that Brown is the "real deal."

That evaluation will certainly include the Bears' final five-game stretch, which begins Sunday at the San Francisco 49ers.