It was a pretty strong bid for Ben Johnson to become their head coach, but the Chicago Bears couldn’t win against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

A disappointing game on defense and two fumbles on offense played a big role in Chicago’s 34-17 loss at Soldier Field, which fell to 4-11 for its ninth straight loss. In Thomas Brown’s third game as the team’s interim coach, the Bears haven’t even lost a game by single digits.

There were encouraging moments in Chicago’s offense – particularly in the passing attack – but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Bears’ division record from falling to 0-5 in the 2024 regular season. Here are some of the key takeaways from Sunday’s loss.

Repair the interior…on both sides

Many of the mock drafts, free agency previews and mock offseasons you’ll see surrounding the Bears this offseason will prioritize both interior offense and defense. Sunday was a perfect example of this.

Jahmyr Gibbs tore through the Bears’ defense, rushing for 109 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He also contributed 45 yards on four receptions in the passing game. Detroit’s effective running game helped them move the ball evenly down the field. The same strong play from the interior offensive line was not seen on the Bears’ side, as D’Andre Swift averaged just 2.2 yards per carry. Caleb Williams was Chicago’s leading rusher with just six runs. You can blame Swift in part for this, but for the most part his poor numbers were due to the offensive line’s inability to clear the way for him.

The Bears are missing Matt Eberflus

At least in defense. As bad as Eberflus was as a head coach, it’s clear that the Bears’ defense isn’t performing at nearly the same level with Eric Washington as defensive coordinator.

With the loss to the Lions, Chicago gave up over 30 points in each of the three games in which Washington was the defensive leader. Eberflus took a “bend, don’t break” approach with passive zone coverage that allowed opposing teams to march down the field, but limited the deep pass and kept their team in the game. That doesn’t mean firing Eberflus was the wrong move – it was clear he wasn’t the right head coach for them – but his loss had an impact on the defense.

Caleb Williams appears to be a QB worth leaving Detroit for

Williams had his fourth game of the season with over 300 passing yards, making him the most games in a season against a Bears quarterback. He was precise and decisive and showed impressive speed in his throws. There were some ups and downs – like most of his rookie year – but the ups were very encouraging.

The Bears lost this game largely because of their defense. This loss was not Caleb Williams’ problem. We have seen significantly worse offensive performances from this team this season. His improved ability to make plays on the field and his ability to escape must certainly have been encouraging for Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. While rumors continue to swirl that he could be the leading candidate for Chicago’s vacant head coaching position, watching Williams do it firsthand like he did as a rookie must make him feel better.

Visit our 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel for Dr. Mason West Wear and Tear Bears Postgame Show with his guest Bryan Orenchuk as they discuss everything good and bad about the game!