The Bears are losing at such a clip that their season is essentially done. Playoffs are a pipe dream at this point, even with Caleb Williams playing well and despite the fact this team is pretty talented and losing close games in shocking ways.

That lends to some wild predictions about the Bears, who may blow it all up at season’s end. I still think letting Matt Eberflus go in-season won’t be a thing, but the Bears head coach doesn’t seem to have a lot of answers for what ails his team.

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That has left the Bears reeling an unable to close out wins.

The team’s record in one-score games is abysmal, which spells death in a league designed to enhance parity and competitiveness.

This latest result, a 30-27 overtime loss to the Minnesota where the Bears came all the way back but couldn’t finish, leads to some overreactions in the negative sense, but not completely.

Let’s get into them after the Bears’ fifth straight loss.

Caleb Williams is that dude

Overreaction?: Nope

You could tell even before the game. Caleb Williams was on one. He was spinning it on Sunday, with some absolutely amazing throws down the field. He wasn’t perfect, but Williams showed up when it mattered most.

His stat line was next level: 32-of-47 passing for 340 yards, two touchdowns, no picks and 33 rushing yards.

Save two rough games against Arizona and New England, Williams has been really good and shows up in big moments. He gave his team a late lead in Washington and tied it on Sunday with one clutch throw after another.

Seems insane that Eberflus was asked a few weeks back if Williams was still the starter. He’s so, so good. With a solid scheme and coaching staff, he can take this offense to new heights.

The Bears haven’t had a player like this in some time. He’s talented and confident and committed to getting better. When he’s on, he gives the Bears a chance. Dynamic player, with tons of confidence.

“His confidence is through the roof,” receiver DJ Moore said. “He’s understanding the gameplans through and through. To see him go out there and be able to play quarterback like he wants to, it’s amazing to see.”

Bears defense has taken a giant step back

Overreaction?: Just a little bit

The Bears defense was really tough to beat earlier in this season. They still have those moments and a statistically stout in several categories. They take the ball away at ton. They’re really good in the red zone and on third down, generally speaking.

They’ve lost the consistency required to be upper-tier. Explosive plays have been an issue all season, but they’re giving up more and more often these days. That was at issue with Sunday’s game against the Vikings.

They would do well, play tough and then blow it. That helped the Vikings create the scoring drive in overtime that ultimately won it.

The big plays were a killer, and have been a problem for the defense recently. The storyline for most of this season was on the offense not doing enough to support a stout defense. On Sunday, it was the other way around.

“It’s very frustrating as a defense because the offense was rolling today,” safety Kevin Byard III said. “Once upon a time, defense was playing well and offense was still figuring it out. And obviously now they’ve been on a roll and putting up points and it’s frustrating on the defense to not be able to match the energy that the offense is bringing.”

Thomas Brown should stick around no matter who is head coach

Overreaction: Yep.

The Bears new offensive coordinator has shown well over his two games at offensive play caller. Williams seems rejuvenated. The offensive line has been solid and the passing game is experiencing an uptick.

So much of that is Brown’s doing, and he has drawn rave reviews from the players executing his game plan. Keeping Brown for Williams’ continued development could be a thought worth pondering, but that seems highly unlikely that he would be retained with a new head coach, which feels like an inevitability at this point.

While some assistants can survive a change at the top, it’s rare at the coordinator level. The new head coach will either be an offensive guy likely calling plays or a defensive minded coach with an offensive play caller in mind.

Brown deserves his flowers. That’s for certain, but it’ll be tough to imagine he remains if the head coach is gone, and it seems unlikely that Eberflus sticks around at this point. Having continuity will help Williams, but not at the expense of getting the right head coach in place. If Brown continues to show well, he’ll be an offensive coordinator somewhere in the league. He’s a smart guy and a good play caller and a leader of men. That will be attractive to many if the Bears staff gets blown out.

Matt Eberflus has gotta go

Overreaction: Nope

Can’t see Matt Eberflus losing his gig in season. He’s a good defensive play caller, so losing him in that role would make this defense worse. It would take something big to bounce him, if general manager Ryan Poles feels he has completely lost the locker room and players stop fighting for him. I don’t have that sense, considering how the Bears fight and how prideful they are.

It’s hard to imagine the Bears proceed without a coaching change. This was supposed to be a season of renaissance for the Bears, with so much talent and a rookie quarterback capable of being special. Having the campaign fall flat is a disappointment of the highest order, and it’s hard make a case that Eberflus’ decision making and game management hasn’t hurt his team.

He hasn’t won a challenge all season, has questionable use of his timeouts and hasn’t had his team settled in moments of crisis. It seems like a matter of time but, as I’m learning on my first year on this wacky beat, stranger things have happened around here.