Stevenson had his back to the play when the Hail Mary was snapped, then failed to defend his man.

Matt Eberflus has a lot of rules — and not a lot of public consequences.

That was made clear Wednesday when the Bears coach refused to detail what punishment, if any, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson will receive after committing one of the most mind-boggling, tone-deaf acts in recent Bears history.

Stevenson had his back to the line of scrimmage, too busy inciting the crowd at Northwest Stadium on Sunday, when the Commanders snapped a ball that would end up in the arms of receiver Noah Brown, who caught a tip to convert a 52-yard Hail Mary as the clock expired in a 18-15 loss. Stevenson, who noticed his mistake well after receivers began sprinting down the field, was supposed to box out Brown. Instead, he jumped for the ball, leaving Brown wide open.

Stevenson apologized on social media Sunday night and to his teammates in a meeting— and later in public — on Monday. He declined comment Wednesday.

When he took to the podium Wednesday, Eberflus had his chance to tell an increasingly irate fan base how such a blatant violation of his H.I.T.S. principle would be punished. He refused to — and sounded as though Stevenson’s playing time wasn’t about to change.

“I’m not going to talk about Tyrique in terms of starting, not starting, all those things,” he said. “But I will say this — Tyrique has made a lot of plays for this group and for our defense and for our football team over the last couple of years, and he’s going to continue to do that. We’re behind Tyrique, and we’re with him all the way, and again, we’ll work through this as we go.”

Receiver DJ Moore said Stevenson would learn from his mistake — and “if he doesn’t, then that’s when something really has to come down.” Eberflus, though, can’t wait that long. The consequences for Stevenson’s actions should have been spelled out decisively, and publicly. When they’re not, Eberflus’ emphasis on discipline lacks teeth.

“Perceptions are what they are … but in the building we hold each other accountable,” Eberflus said. “And it’s about our circle and the men in the building.”

Eberflus’ job, though, is to manage that perception. He failed to do that last year when he refused to criticize disgruntled receiver Chase Claypool and gave maddening non-answers about the departure of two assistant coaches. He made a deliberate effort to open up during the offseason, but this week reverted to the same old habits.

Wednesday, Eberflus did little to quell the all-too-familiar feeling that the Bears are teetering on crisis. That sense was reinforced by the words of his own team captains, who earlier this week questioned his coaching strategy in the final seconds of the game.

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson reiterated Wednesday that he believed the Bears should have taken a timeout to settle down before the Hail Mary. Asked if anyone on his staff saw Stevenson riling up the fans before the snap, and, if so, why he didn’t take a timeout, Eberflus said he wanted to keep those conversations in-house.

That was a common theme Wednesday. Speaking in the locker room, safety Kevin Byard said he shouldn’t have told reporters Monday that he met with Eberflus to question why the team didn’t play closer coverage on the penultimate down of the game, a 13-yard completion to Terry McLaurin. Receiver DJ Moore expressed remorse for questioning the handoff to offensive lineman Doug Kramer — which ended in a fumble — while on a paid radio appearance Monday.

Moore said he hurt the team with his comments — but insisted he stood by his stance.

“It’s a tough slip,” he said. “I mean, I answered the question truthfully.”

Bears GM Ryan Poles retained Eberflus last offseason, despite a 10-24 record, because he believed in the culture he was building. That’s been tested twice this season. In the days following the Bears’ Week 3 loss to the Colts, veterans weren’t shy in bringing their coaching concerns to Eberflus — and the public. Eberflus met with leaders earlier this week and again Wednesday.

“We’ve been talking about doing things better, the right way …” Johnson said. “Something like that just exposes certain things.”

They’ve been exposed since last season. Since Week 4 of 2023, Eberflus has lost four games in which the Bears had a win probability rate of at least 90% in the fourth quarter — to the Broncos, Lions, Browns and Commanders.

Johnson acknowledged the heat Eberflus has taken from the outside world this week.

“I’m sure Tyrique’s got the same criticism,” Johnson said. “If you’re somebody in this high spotlight situation like that, you’re going to be critiqued.”

Asked how the players retained their belief in their coach, Eberflus said to ask them. Linebacker Tremaine Edumunds, a captain, said that accountability means the players and coaches are “in this together.” Johnson said he supports Eberflus the same way he backed quarterback Justin Fields last year — which might prove to be an unfortunate comparison.

“Whoever is in our locker room, whoever is our coaches are, that is who we believe in,” Johnson said.

Byard said he respects Eberflus, who doubles as the team’s play-caller.

“If you play 72 plays on defense and, let’s say, for example, he called four or five bad plays, and he called the rest of them great, that doesn’t make him a terrible coach,” Byard said. “I still believe in him as a coach and believe him as a man. I respect the fact that he lets us voice our opinions in meetings.”

Eberflus, though, is the voice that matters. That’s what makes his refusal to publicly discipline Stevenson so maddening.

“The game didn’t finish the way we wanted it to,” Eberflus said. “And, again, that starts with me.”

Apparently, though, it doesn’t end with Stevenson.