3 Takeaways From the Bears 2023 season
The Chicago Bears finished their 2023 season with a disappointing 17-9 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Jan. 7. This loss brought the Bears’ final record to 7-10, which is a four-win improvement from last season.
While the Bears’ record improvement is a step in the right direction, they still had many ups and downs throughout the season. The Bears' worst moments of the season came when they blew three separate games with 10+ point leads in the fourth quarter. These losses brought up questions about coaching and showed the Bears need to learn how to finish games.
The Bears' most exciting moments of the season were their 28-12 victory over the Detroit Lions and when quarterback Justin Fields was used to the best of his abilities. Ideally, Fields' abilities would have been used every game. However, Fields and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy rarely got on the same page, which is why Fields' playing was so exciting.
Matt Eberflus is an average coach
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Through two seasons in Chicago, head coach Matt Eberflus is 10-24. Even though he is fourteen games below .500, it is somewhat unfair to hold his first year’s record against him because the team was young and lacked talent. However, this Bears team had better talent on both sides of the ball this season. Even with their offseason improvements, they started out the season 0-4, with one of the league's worst defenses. During that stretch, the Bears also blew their first of three fourth-quarter leads, thanks to Eberflus and his coaching staff failing to properly adjust to different playcalls and new factors in that game. Eberflus’s ability to make in-game adjustments steadily improved throughout the season, but still needs a lot of work to be considered good.
After the disastrous start to the season, Eberflus helped lead the Bears to a 7-6 record down the stretch, picking up wins over the Detroit Lions and the Atlant Falcons. He deserves credit for leading the team to two victories with backup quarterback Tyson Bagent and the huge defensive turnaround the team had after acquiring defensive end Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders before the trade deadline. After getting Sweat, Eberflus’s defense accumulated multiple turnovers each game, helping the Bears keep teams to an average of 20 or fewer points.
It is also important to look at Eberflus’s interactions with the media when evaluating him. In the early half of the season, Eberflus had many confusing answers in press conferences, including puzzling answers about wide receiver Chase Claypool during his tenure with the team It got to the point where the Bears’ Public Relations Team had to release statements that were contrary to what Eberflus was saying. However, as the season went on, Eberflus seemed less confused and more like he had an idea of what was going on with the team during media appearances.
Justin Fields is still inconsistent
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This year was supposed to be Fields' breakout season. He finally had a solidified number-one receiver and what was supposed to be an improved receiving corps alongside his explosive running ability. However, that's not what happened this season. Instead, Fields finished the season with 3.219 total yards (2,562 passing yards and 657 rushing yards), 20 total touchdowns (16 passing and four rushing) and nine interceptions in 12.5 games. That is not nearly enough production for a franchise quarterback with Fields' skill set. This lack of production was due to his inconsistent play. Many fans have put the blame for his lack of consistency on the playcalling from Getsy. However, when good plays were called, Fields would not always capitalize. Whether that was because he overthrew a receiver, a receiver dropped a pass, or he just didn't pull the trigger, there were too many missed opportunities. That is not a good thing for Fields in his third year, especially if he wants to be a franchise-altering quarterback for the Bears.
It may not look like Fields improved his interception issues from a pure number perspective. However, six of Fields' nine interceptions came in the six games before his injury. After returning from injury, Fields protected the ball much better, throwing only three interceptions. Two of these were Hail Mary attempts, which very rarely end in completions. The other interception happened on an underthrown ball to running back Kahlil Herbert, which could have been a touchdown. While mistakes happen, the Herbert interception is inexcusable. Thankfully, that was Fields’ only bad interception in the second half of the season.
Jaylon Johnson deserves big money
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Entering the 2023 season, cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s future with the Chicago Bears was a big question mark as his rookie deal was set to expire. While Johnson played well in his first three seasons, he did not have many interceptions. That made it difficult for general manager Ryan Poles to rationalize spending big money on retaining Johnson. However, this season, Johnson played exceptionally well. He did so by shutting down opposing wide receivers. At times, that meant Johnson basically shut down half of the field. Making it much easier for the other defensive backs to go make plays. On top of being a lockdown cover cornerback, Johnson also gathered four interceptions. That four interception mark is the highest of his career, and it could have been higher if he hadn’t dropped two more interceptions. The impact of not having Johnson in the lineup was felt in week 18 against the Packers, when the Bears’ defensive backs had a hard time slowing down opposing receivers. That is why general manager Ryan Poles needs to make the right division and bring Johnson back this offseason.