Hail Mary follows Matt Eberflus to Arizona – and (almost) repeats itself in an ugly loss

GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Hail Mary – and the Hail – followed Bears coach Matt Eberflus to Arizona.

Just minutes after the Cardinals decided to close the roof of State Farm Stadium because tiny ice pellets were falling from the sky onto the desert floor, the Bears conceded another ridiculous halftime score with a 29-9 win on Sunday.

Against the Commanders, the Bears gave up a 52-yard Hail Mary for a touchdown as time expired to lose at the gun.

Against the Cardinals, the Bears gave up a 53-yard run as the clock expired at the end of the first half. When running back Emari Demercado weaved through the Bears' tacklers and crossed the goal line, there were four seconds left in the first half on Sunday.

The Bears seemingly learned nothing from last week's debacle — except perhaps how to spin it. Speaking to CBS after halftime, Eberflus took on more public responsibility than he had all of last week.

“I called for a pass pressure and that’s on me,” he said. “I have to do a better job.”

He needs to do a better job, period.

Sunday was the Bears' worst game of the season, after their worst week of the year.

The defense led by Eberflus gave up more points in the first half than in any other game of the entire season. The Bears' special teams turned three Cardinals points into seven when defensive tackle Gervon Dexter was called for a leverage penalty while attempting to block a field goal. The Cardinals inherited the ball at the 7 and scored. An offense that had struggled all day against one of the NFL's worst defenses suffered its greatest humiliation in the fourth quarter when running back D'Andre Swift was cautioned for a chop block in the end zone. That gave the Cardinals security.

The Bears were undisciplined, unfocused and hitless. And that doesn't even include Tyrique Stevenson, the cornerback Eberflus benched because of his histrionics during Hail Mary. Terell Smith started at cornerback and Stevenson played on the Bears' third series. Smith returned but injured his ankle, forcing Stevenson to play the rest of the game.

Last week, cracks in the foundation of the Bears' vaunted culture began to appear as veterans openly questioned the decisions made by Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron against the Commanders. Eberflus told players he preferred to keep such criticisms in-house.

This criticism is likely to continue, even if it happens behind closed doors. The 4-4 Bears' schedule hasn't even gotten to the hard part yet.