The Bears are in the midst of a rough stretch. They haven’t won since Oct. 13, creating a run of 55 days without a victory as of this Saturday publication. That’s a long time to build frustration.

Players have vented at different points during this stretch, most notably after that disastrous loss to the Lions where Matt Eberflus left the field with a down and a timeout in his pocket.

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That was the last straw for a head coach who was let go on Nov. 29, leaving the Bears to pick up pieces in an attempt to make something of this final stretch.

Playoffs are not a real discussion for a 4-8 team in the midst of a free fall, but there are certain factions of the locker room using the remote prospect as motivation to pick things up. The Bears simply must win the next one (and all others after that) to have a chance at qualification.

While that seems like a pipe dream, athletes will find motivation from just about anywhere. Whether it helps get a step closer to the postseason or not, these Bears desperately need a win.

Here are five questions they must answer to actually get a win:

Can Thomas Brown right the ship?

The new Bears interim head coach communicated with everyone on the Bears roster following Matt Eberflus getting let go. He wanted to tell his players that there was a plan for better, and that he was going to help grow and develop their careers. All that starts with wins. This is a relatively unique situation in that the Bears have talent. All was not lost when the head coach got fired.

That’s why the prospects of a rebound remain high and the locker room was energetic following this big move at the top. There have been several moments, even after he took over as offensive coordinator, where it became clear that Thomas Brown gets it.

That was evident again this week, which has inspired players to perform at their highest level.

“It’s like a brighter day in here,” DJ Moore said. “We’ve still got time to go put some wins out there and stack ‘em. That’s what everybody is looking forward to.”

How will Bears sideline operation work?

So Thomas Brown is moving from the coaching booth to the sidelines. That certainly seems like a thing of note. He has called plays from the sidelines before, when he was in Carolina, so there’s not cause for immediate panic about the change in operation.

Brown has a plan for how he’ll run the ship during games and it’s a solid one, with offensive coordinator Chris Beatty remaining downstairs and quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph as Caleb Williams’ primary voice in his ear.

It seems like Brown prefers being on the sidelines and is comfortable with the switch. It’s also necessary considering how much he needs to now handle during a game.

“It’s a player’s game,” Brown said. “The player interaction. I can be pretty calm at times but also I do have some emotion that I show at different times. To be able to have opportunities to meet with guys face to face, talk to them face to face in between plays, whether it be positive or to try to make some corrections, is a little bit different when it comes to being on the sideline face to face vs. in the box on the headset.”

Can Bears handle game-management situations better?

New offensive coordinator Chris Beatty is going to get more involved with game management. It’s something he’s interested in, to be sure, and Beatty believes he can help the Bears in an area where they’ve struggled.

The biggest part of that is staying a “play ahead,” to relay the information required to help Brown make the best decision in the moment. The Bears rep those situations in practice, but we’ll see how they execute them when it matters most. Any improvement would be welcome considering how the Bears have lost recent games in heartbreaking fashion.

“We’ve had some issues with that, so we’re going to try to streamline that a little bit to make that a little less hectic maybe on the headset and more a couple of heads getting together before everything happens as opposed to as it happens,” Beatty said. “So those things we’re trying to work through and fit those things in.”

How will Caleb Williams respond after all this change?

The Bears’ prize asset stands behind center. And it sure seems like the Bears got that selection right. Caleb Williams has shown time and again that he’s that dude, someone capable of special things when given the opportunity.

We all know that talented quarterbacks have been limited by bad organizations, and the goal here is to pick a head coach who can get Williams on the right path and keep him there.

The USC product has a good head on his shoulders and has absorbed all the change in a positive way, with a big-picture outlook that should be beneficial to his career.

“I think this is a steppingstone of development, to be able to have all of this in my first year,” Williams said. “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, being able to handle this first year and being able to grow from it.

“…Down the line I’ll have different OCs or different head coaches or whatever the case may be. And so being able to handle it my first year, handle a new playbook, handle all these different changes, handle all of this I think it definitely will help the development instead of hurting it or anything like that.”

Who handles the tough runs?

The Bears backfield is uncertain at this point, with D’Andre Swift listed as questionable with a quadriceps injury. We know for a fact that Roschon Johnson is unavailable with a concussion, meaning there needs to be another running back who handles the tough yards when close to the first-down marker or the goal line.

That responsibility falls to Travis Homer, a big dude and a core special teams player who is capable of making plays. He has been behind Swift and Johnson on the depth chart, but Brown believes he’s capable of stepping into a bigger role.

“I obviously have a long history with Travis,” Brown said. “I recruited Travis at Miami and coached him for three years, so definitely he’s always been dependable. … He will take a bigger role this week as far as being more involved than the normal.”