After the Bears lost in convincing fashion to the lowly New England Patriots, there may no such thing as an overreaction to that result.

19-9. Against a two-win team entering Sunday. That’s a disaster show.

The offense hasn’t scored a touchdown in eight quarters. Caleb Williams is struggling. A stout defense is starting to occasionally crack. That leads to suggestions that in-season changes that can be made. In this instance, it centers on coaching.

RELATED CONTENT:

• Vibe Check: Bears won’t defend offense that has ‘taken a pretty big step back’
• Caleb Williams give Bears HC Matt Eberflus a vote of confidence
• Shane Waldron in trouble? Matt Eberflus will “look at everything’ to help offense
• Matt Eberflus takes accountability after crushing Bears loss

We heard Bears fans calling for Matt Eberflus to be relieved of duties. We know reporters are asking about Shane Waldron. And, with a brutal schedule upcoming, it’s fair to wonder if this season’s gonna spiral.

These are all fair Bears topics. They’ve all been broached since clocks hit zero on Sunday afternoon, now that the Bears face a straight-uphill-climb, so let’s go over what the fan base is freaking out about in these Bears overreactions.

You’ve gotta fire Matt Eberflus right now

Overreaction?: 100 percent

Bair: That doesn’t seem like a good move. Or a likely one.

I know what y’all want to happen. Heard the chants for firing head coach Matt Eberflus at the end of Sunday’s game. Rang out loud and clear.

But the Bears haven’t fired a head coach during the season, like, ever. Isn’t their thing. It makes sense in this instance, considering Eberflus is by far their best defensive play caller. Getting rid of him costs the head coach and someone who has orchestrated a defensive unit that has been really, really good this season.

The Bears are 4-5, and there’s obviously some pressure to have done better through the first half-plus of this season, to either gain a margin for error or develop a team for a brutal conclusion to this season that includes every NFC North game and contests against the 49ers and Seahawks. Neither of those things happened.

The sense I get is that the Bears don’t want a wholesale change at head coach right now. A firing could be viewed by players as a concession that season’s done, when there’s so much left in front of the Bears despite a three-game skid that suggests the Bears have no chance to advance beyond the regular season. That isn’t the case, not with every division game in front of them.

I would let this play out a bit farther and reevaluate at a later date. If the Bears prove to be the worst team in the NFC North, then maybe you’ve got to make some changes. That time, however, is not now.

Getting rid of Shane Waldron could save the season

 Overreaction?: Yep

Bair: It’s hard to imagine that having someone different calling plays can automatically turn things around. Let’s not forget that the new play caller – it would logically be passing game coordinator Thomas Brown, who has experience calling plays in college and the pros – would be operating the scheme Waldron set up. Would he make better judgement calls in the moment, and enough of them to get ahead.

Can Waldron heal a broken offensive line, with four of five starters unavailable at their primary position against the Patriots? It’s fair to say he didn’t help a bad situation – go watch the Bears postgame show; Coach Dave Wannstedt was clear on that – but players interviewed said that execution beats play calling any day and that the Bears didn’t execute.

It was unknown at the time of publication if Waldron would retain his duties heading into Week 11, but Eberflus wouldn’t eliminate the prospect of making a change. That was a change from six days earlier, enough to fuel speculation surrounding Waldon’s status. Will it change Bears fortunes over a long term? That seems like a stretch.

Bears might have a top 10 NFL draft pick

Overreaction?: Nope

Bair: According to the FOX broadcast, the Bears have the NFL’s toughest remaining strength of schedule. That spells trouble for a team that has lost three games in a row against some beatable teams, both in terms of talent (vs. Arizona and New England) and to execute and an ability finish (vs. Washington). And now the Bears sit at 4-5 entering a rough stretch.

Unless the Bears get right immediately, things could spiral in a negative direction. The Bears sit at the No. 16 overall pick heading into Monday night, and a run of losses could end up with a top 10 NFL draft pick. Despite GM Ryan Poles’ stellar draft record, which suggests he could turn a high pick into a quality player, an opportunity to do so would be would be unwelcome.

The Bears likely thought taking Williams would push them down in the draft order due to his talent and the depth of talent around him. Finding the organization down (yet) again is a step back, not forward. A top 10 pick means the Bears have done a lot more losing and that the perceived ascent has faltered. That isn’t a good thing, but it’s possible at this point.  

Caleb Williams is going backwards

Overreaction?: 100 percent

Bair: Stats suggest that Caleb Williams is headed in the wrong direction over a long term. Don’t buy it. There’s a ton going on around the No. 1 overall pick. I’ve been steadfast in including Williams in the blame for what has happened over the last three weeks – he said ‘it starts with me,” as it should after making some mistakes on Sunday  — but there’s a lot wrong going on around Williams right now.

Williams isn’t the primary problem. He shouldn’t be blamed for all that ails the Bears right now. I don’t, for a second, buy into the fact that he should be protected at all costs if it requires sitting. The Bears need as many snaps as possible with Williams at the helm. He remains the future of the franchise. He has the talent and disposition to be that guy. There’s confidence he will be that guy, and it’s warranted. Should he have made some smarter decisions? Sure. But that shouldn’t change perspective on a talented individual who will continue to lead this franchise.