Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who's up, who's down entering Week 10?

For the first time since early October, the Chicago Bears are preparing for a game that will be played at Soldier Field, and it's a homecoming they desperately need. The Bears (4-4) are losers of two in a row following their deflating 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week. Chicago didn't look prepared to take the field, and it showed on both offense and defense.

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams had trouble getting settled as he was berated by a Cardinals pass rush that had been nonexistent for much of the season. The Bears allowed six sacks, which prevented Williams from getting into a rhythm with his pass catchers. That resulted in a touchdown-less day for the Bears, their first of the season.

Defensively, they had no answers for the Cardinals rushing attack. Arizona scored with three different running backs in the first half alone and rushed for 213 yards on the day. The most notable run came at the end of the second half when Emari Demercado scampered for a 53-yard touchdown that stunned the Bears going into the locker room.

All in all, it was a rough outing to say the least, which featured some up-and-down performances from various players. Here is our latest stock watch heading into Week 10 when the Bears take on the New England Patriots:

Stock down: HC Matt Eberflus

Eberflus' stock wasn't exactly soaring going into Week 9. There were already players openly questioning some of his decisions from the Week 8 stunning loss against the Washington Commanders. But he had the chance to rally the troops and turn things around with plenty of season still to go. Instead, the Bears came out flatter than a pancake and seemingly quit on the field. That's on the coach, and confidence in his ability to effectively lead has dwindled among fans and seemingly among the players, too.

The moniker surrounding Eberflus for much of his tenure has been that his teams normally play hard until the final whistle, even if they couldn't get the job done. That wasn't the case last Sunday, and his coaching future is as cloudy as ever. To add insult to injury, he even kept Williams and the starting offense on the field in a blowout late in the fourth quarter while the Cardinals were taking turns teeing off on him. Williams ended up with a tweaked ankle, which could have been much worse. That's coaching malpractice, and yet another reason why Eberflus' stock continues to tank.

Stock down: QB Caleb Williams

It wouldn't be outlandish to list the entire offensive unit in this spot, but let's focus on Williams. The rookie quarterback was progressing well over the last four weeks and even shook off a shakey three quarters against the Commanders to give the Bears the late lead in Week 8. Against a Cardinals defense that was ranked near the bottom of many categories, however, he regressed.

Williams completed 22 of 41 passes for 214 yards last week for a passer rating of 68.9, while adding five yards on four carries. After three consecutive games with a passer rating of over 100, Williams failed to crack 70 for the second game in a row. He was missing open receivers, holding onto the ball too long, and looked out of sorts for the vast majority of the game. Williams has 58 off-target throws this season, most in the NFL, according to ESPN's Dan Orlovsky.

Of course, the performance wasn't all his fault. Offensive coordinator Shame Waldron did him very few favors with his route combinations for the receivers, and the protection couldn't stop anyone from breaking through. Still, Williams wasn't able to ascend past those issues, and he's clearly hitting a rookie wall. There is time to get out of it, and the Patriots present a viable opponent for him to get right. Williams has to prove it, though.

Stock up: WR Rome Odunze

One of the few bright spots on offense was the other prominent rookie—Rome Odunze. The young wide receiver was the leading pass catcher last week, notching five receptions for 104 yards, including a long 44-yard gain in the first half. He led all rookie receivers for the week and got back on track after taking a back seat to the veterans in recent games.

Odunze looks to be the most explosive wide receiver at this point in the season. He's consistently beating his coverages and stretching the field. He is also the only Bears receiver to eclipse the century mark in two games this season, which is a rare feat for rookies in team history. Odunze is the first Bears rookie receiver to have multiple 100-yard games since Willie Gault back in 1983. He will continue to grow with Williams, and it won't be a surprise to see him become the true WR1 by season's end.

Stock down: LB Tremaine Edmunds

Until Week 9, it had been a good season for linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. His pass coverage was solid, and he wasn't missing many tackles in the run game. All of that changed in Week 10, however. Edmunds was dreadful on Sunday against the Cardinals, missing multiple tackles and failing to shed blockers that led to big gains. His worst moment came when he overplayed the Demercado run and was swallowed up, leading to the long score.

It wasn't just that play, though. Edmunds failed to wrap up ball carriers all day long and could not stop the bleeding. Running backs were consistently getting into the second level, often with Edmunds being neutralized. He finished the day with five tackles, but the tape will tell you it was a bad performance from the team captain.

Stock up: S Elijah Hicks

The Bears defense as a whole had a poor outing against Arizona, but backup safety Elijah Hicks continues to make the most of his opportunity as a starter. Hicks, who is filling in for Jaquan Brisker while he recovers from a concussion, had arguably his best game as a pro last week. He totaled eight tackles and made a heads-up play by scooping up a fumble that gave the Bears the ball back in the first half. For his effort, Hicks had the fourth-highest PFF grade on the team in Week 9 (69.7).

It was a rough couple of seasons for Hicks, who was a liability when called upon to start, but he's proving to be a capable safety in his third season. He already has 28 total tackles, two fumble recoveries, and a pass deflection this year. Hicks won't replace Brisker, but the questions regarding his play on the field have been answered in a big way.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears Stock Exchange: Who's up, who's down entering Week 10?