Could Bears Coach Matt Eberflus Be Fired This Week? Peter King Thinks So

The Chicago Bears date back more than 100 years but have never been through a losing streak as bad as the current one.

The Bears have lost a team-record 14 consecutive games going back to last season. It has been nearly a calendar year since the Bears won a game, having last done so on October 24, 2022. Chicago finished with the worst record in the league last year and is off to a 0-4 start to the 2023 campaign.

That could soon be 0-5. The Bears are 5.5-point underdogs to the Washington Commanders in Week 5’s Thursday Night Football matchup.

Matt Eberflus, in his second season leading the Bears, is 3-18 in his tenure—the worst winning percentage by a coach in team history. A coaching change could be coming soon in Chicago, at least according to one longtime NFL reporter.

“You cannot lose 14 games in a row and hang on to your job,” former Sports Illustrated reporter and three-time National Sportswriter of the Year Peter King said on Chicago’s WSCR-AM Tuesday night. “I would not be surprised if it’s a bad loss Thursday and the Bears make a change. Just wouldn’t be surprised. It’s not working.”

Could Eberflus’ time be close to over in Chicago? Here’s a look at just how bad the first month of the season has been for the Bears, how early coaches have been fired of late and why Eberflus is the betting favorite to be the first NFL coach canned this season.

Bears Have Been a Disaster

Seemingly nothing has gone right for the Bears this season—on or off the field.

Chicago opened the season with an 18-point home loss to their rival Green Bay Packers. In Week 2, the Bears trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 3 points late in the third quarter. But comeback hopes ended when quarterback Justin Fields threw a pick-six on a third consecutive screen pass, though one was nullified by penalty, called by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

The past two weeks have seen the Bears lose by 31 points to the Kansas City Chiefs, then blow a 21-point lead at home to the previously winless Denver Broncos. The Bears’ meltdown in Week 4 is tied for the worst in franchise history.

“When you’re 0-4, no one’s done the job well enough,” Eberflus said postgame. “That’s just the facts. It’s a results business, and we have to do a better job collectively as a group. Again, we’re working hard to do that. And I thought the guys put a better step forward, coaches included, and players, of putting our players in position and then executing. I thought that was better today.”

Chicago’s 0-4 start is amplified by controversies that have taken place away from the gridiron.

Defensive coordinator Alan Williams suddenly resigned before Week 3, meaning Eberflus is calling the team’s defensive plays. Fields walked back comments that initially were taken to be shots at the coaching staff. And wide receiver Chase Claypool, for whom the Bears traded a second-round pick last season, has been subject to criticism for his efforts and performance. Claypool was inactive last weekend and remains away from the team.

The Bears have never fired a head coach during the season in their history. Could that change with another poor outing on Thursday night?

“You can’t say just because we’ve never done something that we will never do it,” said King, who now covers the NFL for NBC Sports. “I don’t know how things get much worse than they are around the Chicago Bears right now…. I don’t think [the front office or ownership] are going to say, ‘Well, we’ve never done this before so we can’t do it.’ They’re going to look at their team and say, ‘Have we ever lost 14 games in a row before? I don’t think so.'”

The Bears have a miniature bye week, meaning they won’t play again for more than a week after Thursday night’s game.

When Are Coaches Usually Fired?

The Bears may have never fired a coach in-season before, but plenty of other teams have.

In four of the past five seasons, at least one coach has been fired in October. Most recently, former Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule was axed on October 10, 2022, after a 1-4 start. Rhule was only in his third year of a seven-year contract at the time of his firing.

Former Houston Texans coach and General Manager Bill O’Brien was the first coach fired during the 2020 season, let go on October 5 of that year after a 0-4 start. The Washington Commanders fired Jay Gruden after five games in 2019, while the Browns parted with Hue Jackson on October 29, 2019, after beginning the season 2-5-1.

Other Coaches on the Hot Seat

Bears General Manager Ryan Poles made some bold claims when he and Eberflus took over the franchise early last year.

“We’re going to have a relentless approach to fix our weaknesses,” Poles said at his introductory press conference. “We’re going to maintain great self-awareness of who we are. We’re going to solve problems with open communication and candor. And we’re going to consistently put players in position to succeed. And the last thing—the most important piece—is we’re going to take the [NFC] North and never give it back.”

If the Bears do want to take the division back, they might have to do so with a new coach.

The offshore sportsbook BetOnline has Eberflus as the odds-on favorite to be the first NFL coach fired this season (-200). Among the other coaches on the hot seat, according to those odds, are Josh McDaniels of the Las Vegas Raiders (+600), Brandon Staley of the Los Angeles Chargers (+700), and Ron Rivera of the Commanders (+700).

The Bears are one of only two teams, along with the Carolina Panthers, who have yet to win a game so far this season.

Eberflus was asked during his Wednesday press conference if he’s received any assurances from ownership about his job security and the direction of the team moving forward.

“I understand the business, but I understand that to do it right, you’ve got to focus on your job,” Eberflus said. “I haven’t talked to anybody about any of those things. I feel the support and we’re just focused on Washington.”

[3:03 PM] Robert Read

Hello, I saw you took my story on Bears coach Matt Eberflus. He just spoke again at a press conference. Could you please add this in to the bottom of the story if you’re in the CMS?

Eberflus was asked during his Wednesday press conference if he’s received any assurances from ownership on his job security and the direction of the team moving forward.

“I understand the business, but I understand that to do it right, you’ve got to focus on your job,” Eberflus said. “… I haven’t talked to anybody about any of those things. I feel the support and we’re just focused on Washington.”