Is Matt Eberflus’ job in jeopardy over final 5 games? Chicago Bears coach is focused on ‘leadership’

LAKE FOREST – If there’s pressure inside Halas Hall to perform over the final five games of the season, head coach Matt Eberflus isn’t letting on. Not surprisingly, the Bears’ head coach is taking it one game at a time.

“Our focus is, as anytime in the NFL, is where your feet are,” Eberflus said. “We’ve got to be focused on this game and this game only, to put your best foot forward out there, and that’s what we’re doing this week.”

The Bears come back from their bye week with a 4-8 record and five games remaining on the 2023 schedule. It starts this weekend against the Detroit Lions. When last they played, the Bears won a slugfest, 12-10, against the Minnesota Vikings on Nov. 27.

As is the case about every year when the season ends, NFL decision makers have to evaluate everything. The general manager, the head coach, the assistant coaches and the players. That certainly will be happening at Bears headquarters.

These final five games could be crucial for Eberflus and his coaching staff. Winning three or four games might be the difference between looking for a new job or not.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles has continually backed Eberflus publicly. Following the win over the Vikings, first-year team president and CEO Kevin Warren attended Eberflus’ post-game press availability, nodding along with the coaches answers. That felt notable. Warren hadn’t done that before.

Warren, of course, is the wild card. He has held his job for less than a year. Nobody knows what his true feelings are about the head coach or the GM. If changes are made after the season, Warren will be the one signing off on them.

Asked again Monday about his job status moving forward, Eberflus said he’s focused on leading his football team.

What you can focus on is leadership, and the first the rule of leadership is leading yourself. Come to work every day, put the plans together — offense, defense, special teams — lead the football team, help the leadership council, lead the football team as well, because true leadership comes from within.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

“What you can focus on is leadership, and the first rule of leadership is leading yourself,” Eberflus said. “Come to work every day, put the plans together – offense, defense, special teams – lead the football team, help the leadership council, lead the football team as well, because true leadership comes from within. I think that’s really what you focus on, and that’s put your best foot forward every single day.”

Veteran tight end Cole Kmet has been through this before. He watched the coach and GM that drafted him in 2020 lose their jobs. He won the respect of his new bosses and earned himself a massive contract extension.

Kmet believes this football team is playing better now than it was early in the season, when it started 0-4.

“You can see the progression that’s been going on, whether it’s been in our run scheme or pass [protection], guys on routes,” Kmet said. “You’ve seen the steps there on tape. The results haven’t been always what we’ve wanted them to be. We’re optimistic that if we keep grinding away at this thing and keep going at it the way we have been, then the results will start to show up.”

Injury updates: Rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson missed the Vikings game because of an ankle injury. Eberflus indicated that Stevenson is trending in the right direction and could play this weekend against Detroit.

“It looks that way,” Eberflus said. “Once we get him out there in pads and get him moving around and changing direction – certainly like where he is, for sure.”

The Bears return to practice Wednesday.

Closing out games: The Bears will take on the Detroit Lions for the second time in 22 days when they host the Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field. On Nov. 19, the Bears blew a 12-point, four-quarter lead in the span of four minutes.

The Bears basically out-played the Lions for 56 minutes. They certainly will be looking to make up for it this time around.

Finishing games has been a theme for a Bears team that has struggled in that department over the past two years. Asked if finishing out the win over Minnesota was a confidence boost, Kmet noted that it’s not that simple.

“You can’t really mark it as full change until you do it consistently,” Kmet said. “We did it once there, and we did it against Carolina, too, at the end of the game. Those are some key points there, but we’ve got to do it consistently to say it’s full change.”