The Bears’ loss to the Lions on Sunday was truly historic. They became the first NFL team to lose in regulation with a plus 3 turnover margin and over 40 minutes of possession. Despite dominating for three and a half quarters, the Bears failed to make the most of their opportunities and allowed the Lions to score 17 unanswered points in the final minutes.
The questions that have been raised about this loss are many. Was conservative playcalling too much of a factor? Did the defense fail to make a stop when it mattered? Were the Bears not able to capitalize on every opportunity presented to them, or did they take too many points away? Is Eberflus’ H.I.T.S program sufficient for building a winning program, or do the Bears need more talent?
It’s clear that if they want to beat quality teams, the Bears will need to play absolutely perfectly from start to finish. It won’t be an easy task, but one that will be closely watched by fans and pundits alike as they try to figure out what went wrong and how they can avoid similar mistakes in the future.