The list of disasters that Matt Eberflus has survived in two and a half seasons to remain head coach of the bears is remarkable.

Imagine walking into Halas Hall as an objective observer and seeing the negative side of the ledger with a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak, two assistant coaches fired for non-football reasons, two duds on coordinators offensive, a failure so far. to get the most out of two first-round quarterbacks, team captains publicly opposing various decisions and a series of episodes in which going on the mic only made things worse.

Phew. It’s a lot.

Sometimes what doesn’t kill you doesn’t make you stronger. This only brings you closer to being fired.

Eberflus is on the brink again — he’s lived there virtually his entire tenure — as the Bears falter in their home game Sunday against the Patriots, woefully underperforming at 4-4. They have already lost their chance to pile up wins and gain margins during the first half of the season, which had a much easier schedule than the one they are about to encounter.

The Patriots are the worst team in the NFL, and even then, who is willing to bet their mortgage payment on Eberflus and the Bears taking care of it?

Even if they crush the 2-7 Patriots like any decent team would – even the Titans and Jaguars beat them recently – don’t let that distract you. The Bears have already struck fool’s gold with a three-game winning streak against weak opponents. and were exposed when it got even a little harder.

And it’s about to get a lot harder.

For those who want Eberflus fired, it appears the calendar is about to take care of that. The Bears have six games left in the NFC North and each of these three teams is on track for the playoffs. There’s a visit to the 49ers, who are struggling but still potentially a powerhouse, and the Bears’ easiest remaining game after Sunday isn’t easy at all: a Week 17 game Thursday night against the Seahawks .

There is nothing in this season or in Eberflus’ body of work that suggests the Bears can stay afloat in these waters, much less navigate their way to a playoff spot. ESPN’s latest projection puts their playoff chances at 14%. It was 7% in the New York Times with minimal change expected if they beat the Patriots.

Much like former Bears quarterback Justin Fields as he entered the final stretch last season, Eberflus would have to show something entirely different than what he has put on paper thus far for the organization justifies his return. The best eight-game stretch of his career is 5-3, most of it against non-playoff teams. He will need to match or exceed that figure in the final eight for this season to be a success.

That would require a definitive push from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, whose development is by far the biggest variable in the equation, and an offensive revolution as a whole.

The quality of Eberflus’ defense won’t matter if that doesn’t happen. A defensive-minded head coach can be fired if the offense fails. It’s part of the job.

Evidence that he can turn things around is scant. He faltered often last season, starting 0-4 and blowing three big fourth-quarter leads to reach 7-10, and general manager Ryan Poles said in an interview with the Sun-Times this year that he knew that he went against public opinion. bringing it back this season.

But what has changed since then, apart from the haircut and the beard? Based on the first eight games, that’s not enough.

Long said the team was “cooked” after its second straight loss.

By Patrick Finley

The Sun-Times experts offer their picks for the Bears’ game Sunday against the Patriots at Soldier Field (noon, Fox 32).

Williams made a name for himself as an accurate passer at USC, but he struggled with that in the NFL.

By Jason Lieser