CHGO Digest: Is Sunday vs. Patriots a 'must-win' for Bears?

Good morning, friends!

Caleb Williams is getting absolutely pummeled every single Sunday. That’s not entirely surprising when through eight weeks, the Bears have used 12 offensive linemen while battling through injuries and poor performance.

Williams’ 29 sacks through his first eight starts is the most for a Bears rookie quarterback since… Justin Fields had 29 through his first eight starts. Not exactly what you want to hear.

But it’s not just on the offensive line. It has to be a collective effort to protect Caleb and keep him healthy through the rest of the year.

“Sacks are an everybody thing,” said Matt Eberflus on Wednesday. “Sometimes you got to keep the pocket firm from the inside and we’ve done that at times. And then it’s also about route discipline, right? Making sure you’re where you’re supposed to be when you’re supposed to be there.

“And it’s also about rhythm and timing of the quarterback. You can’t put it on one group. It’s about the running backs when they’re in protection, if they happen to be in protection on a linebacker or a nickel, they’ve got to be solid, too. If they’re in scat protection and they’re out in the route, they’ve got to have great route discipline to do that.”

Williams acknowledged on Wednesday he can help himself by moving the ball faster and taking what’s available. “I have to do better at certain times of getting the ball out, understanding the situation.”

But there’s one key figure that escaped Eberflus’ call for improvement: Eberflus himself.

For Eberflus and the rest of the staff, the benefits of getting Williams reps down 20 behind a makeshift line late in the fourth quarter last Sunday outweighed risk of serious injury, which was only narrowly avoided when the quarterback was “gator-rolled” on the final drive.

Yes, everybody needs to do a better job at protecting the No. 1 overall pick from catastrophe, but it starts at the top.

— Patrick Norton

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Sunday becoming ‘must-win’ for the Bears

Time is running out for the Bears in 2024 – if it hasn’t already. Injuries are piling up left and right, frustration is setting in, and the team is struggling to move past losses. It’s a recipe for imminent disaster, not because they’ve lost consecutive games, but how they’ve lost them.

Had the team quickly moved on from a once-in-a-blue-moon Fail Mary against Washington, maybe they have a better showing against Arizona. A win in either of those games would have Chicago at 5-3 with a good chance to make it 6-3 before the Green Bay Packers come to town in Week 11.

That didn’t happen. Instead, it’s a scramble to fix issues with the offense and run defense that most playoff contenders aren’t working on by Week 10. After a week headlined by spirited player-led discussions in meetings and players openly questioning coaching decisions, a win on Sunday feels necessary to keep the team from self-destruction.

• Linebacker T.J. Edwards described Monday’s team meeting as “real”, saying “We’re at a point where we gotta put a good product on the field. We gotta go win games and we gotta do good things throughout the week to get that thing going, but also it matters what we do on Sunday.”

• “I think they’re all must-win games,” said tight end Cole Kmet when asked if the team was feeling the pressure going into Sunday. “We have to win this game to get back on track and get above .500 again before we [start playing against] the division. We’re all looking forward to getting it going on Sunday back at Soldier.”

• It’s a good time to remind everybody that the Chicago Bears have never fired a head coach during a season, and it’s unlikely that happens anytime soon. It’s not the McCaskey family’s style. But based on expectations the team had heading into the season and after starting 4-2, it feels as though a loss on Sunday could cement Eberflus’ fate. The outside noise will only get louder and Flus’ seat will only get hotter. Yes, he’ll almost certainly finish out the season at the helm, but time is running out to extend his stay beyond 2024.

🎥 FILM ROOM | Nicholas Moreano chats with Jack Sanborn, Gervon Dexter Sr. and more about big plays from Sunday’s loss in Arizona.

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Roundup: Jaquan Brisker still in protocol, Kyle Hendricks moves on

• Jaquan Brisker will remain in concussion protocol this week and is not expected to play on Sunday. Brisker reported concussion-like symptoms a month ago – one day after absorbing a helmet-to-helmet blow from Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble. It’s the third documented concussion of Brisker’s professional career.

• Andrew Billings is likely out for the season after suffering a torn pectoral in Arizona on Sunday, Matt Eberflus announced on Wednesday. Billings was a key member of Chicago’s defensive unit, clogging middle lanes on the line with his 6-foot-1, 311-pound frame.

• Former Chicago Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks is moving on, reportedly signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels worth $2.5 million. Hendricks spent 11 years in Chicago, posting a 3.68 ERA over 270 starts. The 2016 Cy Young finalist played more than a pivotal role for the Cubs’ World Series run, combining to face the minimum with Aroldis Chapman in the pennant-clinching Game 6 of the NLCS, and starting Game 7 of the World Series before turning the ball over to Jon Lester in the fifth inning.

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🍻 11/10 | CHGO Bears Tailgate at Wabash & Cermak! – Week 10 vs. Patriots
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