The Bears have lost nine straight games. They’ve gone from 4-2 to 4-11 in an epic collapse that has to rank among the worst in the franchise’s 100-plus years as a football club.

And, considering the rough patches experienced around here, that’s saying something.

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The Bears hit rock bottom a little less than a month ago now, which prompted Matt Eberflus’ firing. Or so they thought.

The Bears have been outscored 102-42 since then. You read that right. They’ve been outscored by 60 points over three games. That’s a rough stretch following a rough stretch.

There’s plenty to freak out about coming out of yet another resounding loss. Let’s get into a few of those topics in this week’s overreactions:

The Matt Eberflus’ in-season firing was a bad move

Overreaction?: Yep

This is a tricky one. Admittedly. The Bears had never fired a head coach during the season before letting Matt Eberflus go following a Thanksgiving loss to the Lions with a down and timeout in his pocket.

Eberflus’ last three pre-firing losses came by a combined seven points. They lost the next three by 60. Recency bias might suggest the Bears were better with Eberflus.

In some ways, that’s right. The Bears defense is worse without him. While Eberflus wasn’t a good head coach and had time management issues and sometimes froze in big moments, he was a top-tier defensive coordinator and play caller. The Bears clearly miss him in that regard, especially against three elite offensive minds in Kyle Shanahan, Kevin O’Connell and Ben Johnson.

Part of that might be some end-of-season malaise, but Eberflus’ defensive influence was a net positive.

All that said, Eberflus had to go. He had lost the locker room, as Jaylon Johnson’s Thanksgiving postgame outburst suggests. It would’ve been hard to sell Eberflus’ retention to the team overall. The players were over Eberflus as the head coach, and his actions in that role cost the team games. There’s no doubt about that. The right move, and here’s where Ryan Poles enters the equation, was to have fired him after last season and hired a new guy to pair with Caleb Williams as a rookie. Now the Bears have blown Williams’ rookie season and must start over with the coaching staff.

Bears must re-sign Keenan Allen

Overreaction?: Maybe, maybe not

Keenan Allen has been balling out of late. The 12^th-year veteran had nine catches for 141 yards and a touchdown on Sunday, and has had 32 catches for 412 yards five touchdown over the past five games. That’s a massive surge for a veteran who didn’t have more that 44 yards in any game before that.

Allen had been dealing with injury early on, but the 32-year old has proved recently that he’s still got it. Should the Bears re-sign him? Hate to sound like a cop-out here, but it depends on the value.

Poles traded for Allen even with $23.1 million left on his expiring contract. They paid it, but probably won’t pay that freight again. It’s doubtful that any team will. Allen said a few weeks back that he wanted to return to Chicago, but said Sunday night that he was trying to put good tape out there for everyone in the league.

“You gotta prove it to all 32 teams,” the always-honest Allen said. “At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about. The last name on your back is really what matters. I ain’t never gonna quit. Keep going.”

Teams will want Allen. While he’ll certainly get less moving forward, he should have a somewhat competitive market. That doesn’t mean the Bears should get into a bidding war with DJ Moore and Rome Odzune already on the roster. The Bears like Allen and his football smarts. There’s a value for everyone, though. Find out what that is. Let Allen hit unrestricted free agency and establish a market, and then decide whether to get involved at that point.

The Bears overpaid Montez Sweat

Overreaction?: Yep

Elite edge rushers get paid. Montez Sweat is one of those guys. I feel confident saying that despite an unflattering stat line. Sweat has 4.5 sacks thus far. If that holds, that would be the lowest total of Sweat’s career. That would come a year after the Bears signed him to a four-year extension worth $98 million in new money.

That’s doesn’t seem like a great return. And, this isn’t making excuses for Sweat, but he hasn’t hadn’t had anyone help off the opposite edge. He’s banged up more than most realize.

And he’s producing quarterback pressure at a top-15 rate among edge rushers. And he’s getting double teamed and chipped and all that.

All that said, it’s fair to demand more of Sweat. The very best find a way, and he hasn’t done that. That doesn’t mean he isn’t worth the money. It means he needs to use his immense talents a bit better moving forward.