Chicago Bears players have nothing left to say after 3rd-consecutive blowout loss

CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears locker room cleared out quickly Sunday. The players didn’t have much left to say.

Less than an hour after the Detroit Lions beat the Bears 34-17 at Soldier Field, two players in the Bears locker room – who shall remain nameless – finished up interviews at about the same moment.

As a gaggle of media members dispersed in search of other voices, one player leaned in toward the other and said, “What do they expect us to say?”

The Bears are out of answers. They lost their ninth consecutive game. They were blown out for the third time in three games since firing former head coach Matt Eberflus.

Nobody lingered in the locker room Sunday. The players showed up, went to work, punched the time card and got out of there. Some fans probably don’t blame them. This team was eliminated from playoff contention a week ago. There were about 6,000 empty seats at Soldier Field on Sunday.

The last two games, at this point, are a formality.

Asked after the game if he’s still trying to prove himself to the Bears front office, receiver Keenan Allen – whose contract expires after the season – said this: “Everybody. Yeah, you just got to prove it to all 32 teams. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about and the last name on your back is really what matters. I ain’t never going to quit. Just keep going.”

You just got to prove it to all 32 teams. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s about and the last name on your back is really what matters. I ain’t never going to quit. Just keep going.”

—  Keenan Allen, Bears wide receiver

The Bears traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Chargers in exchange for Allen in March. They did so knowing that he was on the final year of his contract. Allen spent the first 11 years of his career in Southern California. The hope, for the Bears, was that he would help elevate the offense for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

Allen played well Sunday, racking up 141 yards and a touchdown on nine catches. But he sure sounded like a player who is ready to get back to California for the winter, and maybe permanently.

“Just trying to do my job,” Allen said. “Keep fighting. Just keep putting good stuff on tape.”

That tape would be for his impending free agency.

Unfortunately, his recent offensive outburst has been too little too late for the 2024 Bears.

But other players, like Williams, aren’t going anywhere. General manager Ryan Poles is going to have to figure out how to piece together a competitive team from the ashes of this season. It starts with finding a head football coach.

Not everyone shares Allen’s outlook, of course. Rookie receiver Rome Odunze, who is under contract for at least three more seasons, views it differently.

“Different mixed emotions,” Odunze said when asked about the season. “We all carry that burden and carry that weight. It’s tough. I think there are good character men in this locker room that can continue to uplift and continue to keep going. I follow that inspiration and try to be a light as well.”

Williams has been a bright spot. Statistically, he’s having one of the best seasons of any Bears quarterback ever. He threw for another 334 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. His 2024 season is currently sixth on the Bears' all-time single-season passing record books with 3,271 passing yards.

Williams views these reps as meaningful, even in a lost season.

“Every snap is valuable,” Williams said. “There are so many different situations that happen throughout games that you can learn from and that I’ve learned from this year.”

When it comes to the stats, it’s a little bit hard to know what’s real and what’s not when Williams can put up numbers in blowout losses. Defenses undoubtedly play different when they have a two-score lead.

Detroit led by two possessions halfway through the first quarter Sunday.

“We can evaluate everything,” Brown said when asked about it. “I think the way guys respond, how they handle adversity. Also kind of being in the moment, not having penalties. Obviously, sustaining some drives and putting those things together. Everything’s always under evaluation.”

That’s been the case for this Bears coaching staff since well before Brown took the reins. Eberflus loved to say he would evaluate everything.

But for the 2024 Bears, there’s not much left to evaluate.