Sports media often uses hyperbole to describe incredible achievements, but the Bears’ loss to the Lions on Sunday was truly historic. The team had been leading 48-0 before their epic collapse in the final four minutes of the game, when the Lions scored 17 unanswered points.
Despite their best efforts for three and a half quarters, the Bears did almost everything right. They followed their script and won with both their offense and defense performing exceptionally well. Justin Fields made huge plays with both his arm and legs, making it a dominant performance on the road against a top NFC North team.
However, it all came down to one disappointing loss that left fans questioning what went wrong. Was it conservative play-calling that held them back? Or was it their inability to get a stop on defense when they needed it most? Did they miss out on opportunities to score or defend against the Lions’ attacks? Are Eberflus’ HITS program insufficient to build a winning program? Do they lack enough talent on the field, or is there an issue with performance?
These questions will continue to be debated throughout this week as people try to figure out why the Bears couldn’t pull off a victory against a quality opponent without playing flawlessly. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that they simply aren’t good enough to win consistently without being nearly perfect.