Raiders Opponent HC Spotlight: Matt Eberflus

The Las Vegas Raiders will go on the road to face the Chicago Bears in Week 7, so we take a closer look at Coach Matt Eberflus.

The Las Vegas Raiders have begun to build momentum after their second straight victory and take that momentum on the road to play the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday.

The Bears are only 1-5 this season and have not yet won at home, suffering a loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, a game in which quarterback Justin Fields sustained an injury to his right hand.

Matt Eberflus is in his second season as head coach and has a 4-19 record. The Bears hired him in January of 2022 after several successful seasons as the defensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts.

In those four seasons, his defenses ranked 11th, 16th, 8th, and 16th in the league in yards allowed per game. His defenses were always excellent at stopping the run, finishing in the top 10 in rushing yards allowed per game each season.

It has not yet come together in Chicago, as the Bears were 29th in the league in total yards allowed per game last season and are 29th again this year. 

The Bears made several investments in defense through free agency this season, but have not yet improved much on that side of the ball.

Eberflus runs a base 4-3 defense and a zone coverage scheme, and does not blitz often. The Bears have sent blitzes on only 20.1 percent of drop backs this season, seventh-lowest in the NFL.

Overall, Eberflus’ defense has not played to the level it was expected to this season, but they have played better as of late. Through the season's first four games, the Bears allowed 34.2 points per game, but in the last two, they have reduced that number to 19.5.

Eberflus’ Colts went 2-2 against the Raiders when he was the defensive coordinator, defeating them in 2018 and 2020 but losing to them in 2019 and 2021. This will be his first game against the Silver and Black as a head coach.

The Raiders head to Chicago to face a Bears team that has struggled mightily this season, and Eberflus might be under pressure if he cannot string victories together.

With the chance to win their third straight game and have a winning record again, the Raiders will look to prevent Eberflus and the Bears from getting their second win.

The Silver and Black will head on the road to take on the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Oct. 22, at 1:05 p.m. EDT/10:05 a.m. PDT.

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