Caleb Williams, Eberflus, Bears Ripped by NFL Fans After Loss to Drake Maye, Patriots

The Chicago Bears were a Washington Commanders' Hail Mary away from being 5-2 with plenty of reason for optimism.

Now, they are 4-5 with seemingly no reason for optimism.

Drake Maye earned bragging rights over his fellow rookie, Caleb Williams, as the New England Patriots defeated the Bears 19-3 in Sunday's showdown at Soldier Field. Chicago has now lost three in a row, while the Patriots improved to 3-7 with their second win in the last three games.

Maye wasn't spectacular and went 15-of-25 for 184 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but that was enough with the Bears offense stumbling its way along on the other side. Williams went 16-of-30 for 120 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions while being sacked nine times, and the offense struggled for the majority of the contest.

Williams, head coach Matt Eberflus, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, the banged-up offensive line and more drew the ire from Bears fans on social media:

The biggest storyline coming into Sunday's game was the rookie showdown at quarterback, as Williams was the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 NFL draft while Maye was the No. 3 selection. Williams faced quite the challenge, though, as four offensive linemen were ruled out prior to the game before Teven Jenkins exited during the contest.

As expected, Chicago's offense was abysmal.

It went scoreless in the first quarter for the seventh time in nine games as loud boos rained down from the crowd. Williams didn't have much time and also held onto the ball for too long, and the overall incompetence from the offense put all the pressure on the defense.

That defense stood strong for a while and even intercepted Maye, but the Patriots took the 13-3 halftime lead after the rookie signal-caller found Ja'Lynn Polk for a touchdown.

It was more of the same after halftime, as the Bears couldn't block, couldn't consistently run and couldn't generate any momentum in the aerial attack. The showing made it easy to speculate about the immediate futures of Eberflus and Waldron, especially after so many players publicly called out the coaching in recent weeks.

Chicago's defense did what it could to keep the game close, but the offense continued to get in its own way. The Bears had six offensive possessions in the second half and finished with four punts and two turnover on downs.

It won't get easier either, as next up for the Bears is a game against the rival Green Bay Packers.