When Matt Eberflus held his weekly meeting with the Chicago Bears leadership council on Wednesday, the coach and players had a lot to discuss as they took stock of the last-second 18-15 loss to the Washington Commanders.

Just two days earlier, after losing to Jayden Daniels' 52-yard Hail Mary, several of the Bears' eight captains publicly expressed questions or concerns about coaching decisions made in the fourth quarter.

On Wednesday they had their weekly forum to voice their concerns about Eberflus, who has faced intense outside criticism over the way his defense handled the commanders' latest attack.

“It’s just a partnership,” tight end Marcedes Lewis said. “From a player’s perspective, we understand that (the coaches) also have a job to do and it is up to the captains and senior management to understand this climate and address our concerns constructively. That's what we did, we just tried to work together on what we wanted to achieve and I think we did a great job.

“Of course it is difficult to win in this league. There will be ups and downs, smiles and frowns, and you just have to fight through it.”

The leadership council first came into the public eye after two losses to the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts as outside disapproval of offensive coordinator Shane Waldron grew. The players eventually met with Waldron to express their concerns. The Bears bounced back — albeit against bad teams — with a three-game winning streak.

The Bears face another crucial challenge in their next two games against the beatable Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots before heading into NFC North play.

Quarterback Caleb Williams called the session a “grown man conversation,” with players and Eberflus offering their thoughts on what went wrong.

Williams thinks it's a good thing that the Bears have so many insightful, passionate veteran players willing to speak their minds.

“Personally, I assume that no one leads OC teams. Good teams that coaches lead. And the great teams that players lead,” Williams said. “We have to find ways to be better for ourselves. There were plays in this game where we had to execute. Whether my drop is wrong or route depth is wrong or hand positioning or your helmet isn't over the defender's chest so we can get him moving and cut up. There are many things that players can correct in the first place. You always have to look at yourself before you start pointing fingers at others or doing anything similar and make sure you are doing things right.

“From then on we will continue to communicate and continue to improve between the coaches and us players.”

Week 8 photos: Washington Commanders 18, Chicago Bears 15

The players' comments on Monday were significant as some expressed the thoughts of so many fans. Safety Kevin Byard said the players were still emotional about the game and wore their hearts on their sleeves during their interviews less than 24 hours after the Hail Mary was completed.

Byard told reporters in a conference call that he spoke with Eberflus about the defensive play call on the Commanders' second-to-last play, when the Bears were defending the middle of the field and allowed a 13-yard completion down the sideline to Terry McLaurin that went out of bounds .

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson wondered on WSCR-AM 670 if the Bears should have taken a timeout before the Hail Mary to be better prepared for the game.

Wide receiver DJ Moore, in a separate 670 interview, expressed surprise that the Bears went with a handoff to offensive lineman Doug Kramer on third-and-goal at the 1-yard line with the lead on the line.

Tight end Cole Kmet told reporters Tyrique Stevenson's lack of focus on the final play was a lesson for the players about what happens when they don't respect the game, something he said was an issue in practice earlier in the week.

Eberflus said he has no problem with players expressing their opinions respectfully, but added that he wants them to do so one-on-one with the other party involved.

“We have a policy of open communication,” Eberflus said. “And if it’s done in the right way with respect and if it’s done in the right way in terms of winning, winning football and winning habits, then we’re all in.”

Moore said Eberflus has spoken to his captains about what they say in a public forum, such as in their interviews. Moore said he answered the question about the Kramer piece truthfully, but he probably wouldn't say something like that in an interview in the future.

“Next time it’ll just have to stay in-house,” Moore said. “I'm not going to say, 'Sorry for what I said.' But at the same time, it should have just stayed in-house. But I said what I said.”

The players' public thoughts on Monday came on the same day that Eberflus gave reporters little doubt about his in-game decisions.

But on Wednesday the coach tried to explain that he also holds himself accountable.

In his opening statement to reporters during his press conference, Eberflus made sure to note that the Bears did their usual weekly “after-action report” assessing the things they – including the coaching staff – did well and need to improve . He noted that “it’s all about accountability and execution, and that starts with me.”

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The way the Bears lost — and the decisions that led to the Commanders' disappointing final drive — brought Eberflus a lot of attention in the local and national media. The temperature inside the coaching building was also an issue on Wednesday.

“I'm going to be the man that I was and the leader that I was and stay calm throughout the whole process,” Eberflus said when asked how he keeps his players' faith. “We are a team that is growing and we are a team that is getting better and we will overcome this adversity.”

But Eberflus also said to ask the players about their belief in him.

“I still believe in him as a coach,” Byard said. “I believe in him as a man. And I respect the fact that he gives us the opportunity to express our opinions at these meetings and things like that. I was on another team where maybe that doesn't happen, where he's not necessarily open to criticism, but open to open feedback from the players. I still respect him and the players still believe in him. We still have a lot to do and we still feel like as a team and players we are a great team and we will be where we need to be.”

When Johnson was asked if he still believed in Eberflus, he replied matter-of-factly: “Yes, he is our head coach.”

“It’s part of the job, honestly,” Johnson said. “I kind of mean the same thing with the quarterback situation when everyone was asking, 'Are you behind Justin (Fields)?' “He’s our quarterback. We're going with him.' But I mean, whoever's in that position, whoever's in our locker room, whoever our coaches are, we believe in him. We trust him to lead us to a championship.”

Coaches and players quickly committing to the Cardinals is the first step in getting back on track. And Moore insisted they were ready, saying: “The sky is not falling.”

“I mean, for the media, it might go down because we lost or whatever,” Moore said. “But everyone here is doing well and is on the way back to winning ways.”