Bear Digest

Devastating Debut for Thomas Brown in 38-13 Bears Defeat

The Bears offense started slow, the defense never showed up and the San Francisco 49ers found it easy to spoil the debut of the new Chicago head coach.

Gene Chamberlain

Caleb Williams scampers to the sidelines with 49ers in pursuit during Sunday's 38-13 Bears loss.
Caleb Williams scampers to the sidelines with 49ers in pursuit during Sunday's 38-13 Bears loss. / Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images
In this story:

If the Bears received an energy jolt from the switch in head coaches to interim Thomas Brown, they had a strange way of showing it.

They came out imitating zombies, fell behind like they have in 12 of 13 games this year and absorbed their worst beating of the year in terms of final deficit as the San Francisco 49ers steamrolled them 38-13.

"I'll start with what I kind of addressed to the team: We got our butts kicked," Brown said.

A while later, quarterback Caleb Williams said the same except was more explicit in his description of said rear ends.

The Bears gave up more points than in any game since Kansas City beat them 41-10 in Week 3 last season. They allowed 325 yards passing on 20 of 25 for a 145.4 passer rating to Brock Purdy.

They went into the locker room at halftime with 4 yards to show for 30 minutes of work. They had given up 319 yards.

New Bears and new coach same as the old Bears and old coach, Matt Eberflus. They lost for the seventh straight time and at 4-9 are heading toward the top 10 in the NFL draft.

Again.

"It's a grown-man's business," Brown said. "There is no laydown or quit in our football team which I do love. We've got to find a way to start the games faster, particularly on the offensive side of the ball

"I think we do a decent job at halftime making adjustments but get the ball rolling at the beginning of games to be able to build with a lead.

"But overall not enough explosives on the offensive side of the ball and gave away way too many on defense."

The Bears defense gave up scores on four of the first five 49ers possessions, three of them touchdowns,  and the offense answered with nothing in the first half beyond one first down. It was 24-0 before they could score early in the third quarter.

"We've got to be able to find some way to get some points first, better yet in the first quarter -- we can't put all the pressure on the defense,"  wide receiver DJ Moore told reporters.

Developing Caleb Williams is about all they're playing for now beyond seeing if Brown can retain the head coaching job, and they didn't do much here on either count.

"If we had the answer we would have solved it by now as players, as coaches," Williams said. "It's not something that you want to do because  that puts yo behind in games and when you're behind in games it's a taller task because you've got to come back."

Williams finished 17 of 23 for only 134 yards but did hit Rome Odunze for a 4-yard TD in the third quarter and then a 15-yarder in the fourth quarter for all their scoring.

The big Bears accomplishment might have been a seventh consecutive game by Williams without an interception but they don't give points for things like that and he did turn it over with a third-quarter fumble as he was sacked seven times overall.

"Timing-wise we were just a little off," Williams said. "I was throwing e ball and timing was a little off. I was holding the ball and my hand was still coming foward and it was ruled a fumble."

The Bears had a 16-play, 70-yard drive to the 4-yard TD pass to Odunze in the back corner of the end zone to get within 24-6. But the only other score came after they trailed 31-6.

Meanwhile, Kittle had five catches for 138 yards, and finished with six for 151. Purdy threw two TD passes to Jauan Jennings and the 49ers seemed to take their foot off the gas, helping to prevent something totally shocking for Brown in his head coaching debut.

"The goal is--I don't care what my role is--is to win football games," Brown said. "That's always going to be the focus or point of emphasis.

"So communicate more to the entire staff, continue to try to find ways to demand more from my players so can show up on game day and play the right way."

More speculation about possible coaching candidates will come out in the next few weeks with none of it meaning anything until the regular season ends.

What can be certain is Brown's name won't get much consideration if nothing improves over his debut. He’ll have more time ahead, though, in four weeks to find improvements.

“But again I don’t make excuses, whether I have a week or five months the goal is to win football games and we ddn’t win and that’s going to be my only focus today and moving forward," Brown said.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.