The Bears’ offense floundered early, and even with a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams and a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, there was no time to waste. With a playoff-ready roster, they needed urgency rather than patience.
They’d been in that situation a few times recently, and between play callers who were unwilling or unable to shift, couldn’t pull out of their nosedives. Matt Nagy was bullheaded to the end, as was Luke Getsy, and as a longtime defensive specialist, Matt Eberflus didn’t seem to know how to intervene.
This time was different.