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Expectations are everything, which is why both of the Bears’ 8-8 seasons under Matt Nagy were maddening, yet there’s an air of optimism around Matt Eberflus’ 3-11 team despite plummeting toward the franchise’s worst record in more than 50 years.
Everyone knows the Bears have few NFL-starter-grade players left on defense, and there’s only so much they can do with that personnel. Even though they’ll never say it publicly, Eberflus and defensive coordinator Alan Williams know it better than anyone.
So what can they do?
They can push.
With the benefit of having a roster comprised mostly of fledgling players fighting just to secure a job for next season and rookies with everything to prove, Eberflus’ creed of playing full-speed, full-force at all times hits receptive ears.