Bears collapse again — this time in 20-17 loss to the Browns after leading by 10 in 4th

CLEVELAND — The Bears fell apart again, and this should be the last time general manager Ryan Poles needs to see that to grasp that they need significant changes in the upcoming offseason if they’re ever going to live up to his vision of growing into a contender.

They lost 20-17 to the Browns on a last-minute field goal after leading by 10 at the start of the fourth quarter. Coach Matt Eberflus’ defense dominated some stretches, but had devastating lapses when it mattered most. The confounding combination of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterback Justin Fields continued to get the Bears nowhere.

Fields completed just 19 of 40 passes for 166 yards with a touchdown pass, two interceptions on desperate heaves into the end zone and had a fumble he was fortunate not to lose.

On the final play of the game, he launched a pass from the Browns’ 45-yard line into a crowd in the end zone. It ricocheted to wide receiver Darnell Mooney lying on the ground, but it bobbled out and Browns safety D’Anthony Bell caught it for an interception to end the game.

The Bears’ latest collapse ended their faint dream of sneaking into the playoffs and pushed them to the brink of mathematical elimination with three games left. It’s time to move on from those wild hopes and figure out how to fix this.

Fast.

Poles is going into an offseason that will make or break his tenure and he must look at this team — players and coaches — with clear judgment. That’s not necessarily easy as the Bears near the end of a cloudy season.

If he is looking for reasons to keep Eberflus, he could point to the overall improvement on defense. Even then, it’s a wobbly argument.

If Eberflus proves to be essentially a very good defensive coordinator, is that enough? Once someone rises to the head job, they’re responsible for everything. Whether the Bears keep Fields or draft his replacement, they have to be able to trust Eberflus to get that side of the ball right, too.

Every frustration with Fields and Getsy, and there were many Sunday, traces back to Eberflus as well. He promised to take an overarching approach to the job, acknowledging on his first day that he’d be accountable for the offense, so this mess sticks to him, too.