The dramatic and trend-setting defeat in Washington has, in the words of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, angered the team against former head coach Matt Eberflus.

Caleb Williams has publicly criticized Matt Eberflus’s handling of the dramatic defeat of the Chicago Bears against the Washington Commanders for the first time. The team never recovered from the setback and spiraled into a negative spiral.

In an interview with Esquire magazine, the quarterback said: “The way he handled it at that point in that game was one of the things that was talked about in the locker room and that the players were annoyed about.”

As a reminder, in Week 8 of the previous NFL season, the Bears led the Commanders 15-12 thanks to a late touchdown with 27 seconds left on the clock, before the hosts, after previously completing two passes for a total of 24 yards, scored a 52-yard Hail Mary to win 18-12.

The final play by the Commanders should never have been an option, the quarterback criticized indirectly. Because the Bears only had to prevent one completion by the Commanders on the hosts’ final drive to secure the win.

However, Eberflus, who has since been released, said in retrospect that the Commanders’ complete passes on the sidelines were not decisive. This opinion caused anger among Williams and his teammates, as the quarterback has now revealed.
The defeat was the turning point for the Bears.

In addition, the defeat turned out to be a turning point in the Bears’ season. With a win, they would have had a record of 5-2. So they had to accept their third defeat. Nine more defeats followed in a row, and the playoffs were once again missed.

In the interview, Williams also made it clear how much this losing streak affected him. He said that he was “mentally, physically and spiritually so exhausted” by the defeats that he would just go to bed afterwards “and shed a few tears”.

Williams admits: I cried after losing streak

But the first overall pick of the 2024 draft also said that these experiences helped him become a more mature player. “Going through a losing streak and being in that position of responsibility was definitely important for me,” said the 23-year-old.

He is more motivated than ever for the upcoming season. “I’ll work my a… off to never get into a situation like that again,” he said.

Williams is enthusiastic about the new head coach Ben Johnson. He will “celebrate great victories” with him, Williams said.