3 Takeaways from Bears' Week 4 Loss vs. Broncos

For much of Sunday, it seemed that the Chicago Bears were destined to pick up their first win of the 2023 season. In heartbreaking fashion, however, everything fell apart in the end.

Quarterback Justin Fields was playing his game and torched a bad Denver Broncos defense. He and receiver D.J. Moore finally seemed to find a spark in their chemistry, and the Bears held a 28-7 lead late in the third quarter.

From there, though, Chicago's defense collapsed. Denver scored the final 24 points of the game and walked out of Soldier Field with arguably the most stunning comeback victories of the season.

The Bears remain winless and face a lot of questions as it pertains to both the roster and the coaching staff.

"When you're 0-4, no one's done their job well enough," head coach Matt Eberflus said, per NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano.

Here are our biggest takeaways from Chicago's 31-28 loss to the Broncos.

Justin Fields Finally Showing Passing Progress, but It Wasn't Enough

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Bears QB Justin Fields

Fields was honest when he told reporters that he'd prefer to be in a less-constrictive offense that didn't ask him to be a pure pocket passer and allowed him to play a little faster mentally.

"That's when I play my best, when I'm just out there playing free and being myself," the quarterback said.

Fields seemed to play more freely against Denver, which has admittedly, been awful defensively. He was virtually perfect in the first half and finished 28-of-35 for 335 yards four touchdowns and an interception. He also tallied 25 yards on four carries.

Moore was a huge piece of the game plan, finishing with a season-high eight catches for 131 yards and a touchdown.

That's the positive here. Fields looked good passing for most of the game, and he and Moore appear to be completely on the same page. That could be enough for Eberflus and the Bears to continue trying to develop the third-year QB instead of punting on the season and eyeing the 2024 quarterback class.

The bad news is that Fields cost the Bears with two second-half turnovers—a fumble that was returned for the game-tying score and an interception with less than a minute remaining.

Progress is progress, and the Bears will take it, but even a mostly-great day from Fields wasn't enough to avoid an 0-4 start.

Matt Eberflus Needs to Find a New Plan for His Defense

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Bears head coach Matt Eberflus

With defensive coordinator Alan Williams stepping away from the Bears and later resigning, Eberflus has been calling the defensive plays. He expects to continue doing so for the remainder of the season.

"That's the plan," Eberflus said, per ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "And we've talked about different things, but that's the plan right there right now."

It's time for Eberflus to change his plan. Any defense that can't protect a 21-point lead has serious issues, even with a defensive touchdown factored into the equation. Chicago simply couldn't corral the Broncos in the second half—Denver scored on three of its five second-half possessions, ending the game on the fifth.

Chicago ran 70 offensive plays, held the ball for nearly 34 minutes and still couldn't put this one away.

The dual responsibility of being defensive coordinator and head coach could be wearing on Eberflus. He clearly doesn't trust the defense that he's calling, as evidenced by a baffling decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 in the red zone and in a tied ballgame.

Eberflus either needs to figure out a defensive scheme that he does trust, or appoint someone else to take on the challenge.

The Chase Claypool Experiment Is Over

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Bears WR Chase Claypool

Wideout Chase Claypool has been a disappointment ever since the Bears traded a second-round pick for him last season. He hasn't been productive or shown a top-notch effort on film. On Friday, he expressed frustration in his usage.

"No," Claypool said, when asked if he was being put in the best position, per Cronin.

Claypool was made inactive for Sunday's game, and it seems that Chicago is ready to cut its losses.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Bears are looking to trade the 25-year-old and are willing to take a fifth- or sixth-round pick in return.

With Claypool out, the Bears activated Equanimeous St. Brown for the first time this season. While St. Brown didn't exactly stand out against Denver, he caught a 21-yard pass and didn't appear to be a significant downgrade from Claypool.

Again, Chicago played a bad Denver defense, so things must be taken with a grain of salt. However, with the Bears offense looking the best it has all year when Claypool was absent isn't great for the receiver's future.

Eberflus said that he "plans to see" Claypool at Halas Hall on Monday, per Siciliano. However, the Bears have likely reached the end with Claypool.