Somehow, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus survived the largest coaching purge in the history of the NFL. There was an all-time free-agent coaching class in the early stages of the offseason, and general manager Ryan Poles opted to stick with the only guy he’s ever hired for the job.
Halfway through the 2023 season, it seemed like there would be no chance that Eberflus would be the coach in 2024. He made a lot of bad decisions, and the way he sounded talking to the media made it feel like he was in way over his head.
However, once the defense added edge rusher Montez Sweat, things started to change. The unit looked like how Eberflus wanted it to look, and the team started to win more football games. They ultimately finished 7-10. Instead of firing Eberflus, Poles believes that he can be the guy that gets this team over the hump.
Eberflus now has a new haircut and swagger, and he’s looking good. None of that will matter unless he starts to win football games at a higher rate. The Bears have never fired a coach in the middle of the season over their century-long history. Eberflus may be the first if he has a bad start.
It is hard to think of a coach who will get a hotter seat quicker than Eberflus if Chicago gets off to a bad start. Winning in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans is important but playing well from that point on is a must for Eberflus. He has the tools on the roster to lead a great football team, it’s on him to go out there and perform as a top head coach in the league.