ARLINGTON, Texas -- After 20-plus months on the job, Chicago Bears coach John Fox's ship is sinking fast.
Not since the gloom-ridden days of Dave Wannstedt (1997-98) has the NFL's charter franchise endured back-to-back winless Septembers.
The latest setback, Sunday night's 31-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium, puts Fox's overall record at 6-13 (3-11 against the NFC) since he arrived in town on the heels of a successful four-year stint in Denver.
The whole point of this season was to raise expectations for 2017. The Bears, internally, felt good enough to win eight or nine games, maybe even sneak into the playoffs this year. Riding that mythical momentum, the Bears wanted fans to believe the team could make a serious run next fall.
That will be an uphill climb.
At 0-3, the Bears have fallen way off the pace in the NFC North, behind the Minnesota Vikings (3-0) and Green Bay Packers (2-1). And don't scoff at next week's opponent, the Detroit Lions (1-2), who have beaten the Bears six straight times.
Since Lovie Smith got axed by former general manager Phil Emery, the Bears are 0-6 against the Lions, yet another sign of how badly the franchise has slipped.
The Bears entered Week 3 banged up, no doubt. Jay Cutler, Eddie Goldman and Danny Trevathan were key losses. So you can blame bad health -- a running theme under Fox -- but every team suffers injuries.
Of greater concern is their lack of competitiveness in the first half, when the Cowboys built a 24-3 lead.
Truth be told, Fox's most redeeming quality last year is that his team usually played hard.
Need motivation? How about Monday night's nationally televised embarrassment at the hands of Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears should've been furious all week.
Instead, the Bears looked shell-shocked from the opening kickoff. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, whom the Bears had three opportunities to draft in the fourth round, calmly marched Dallas' offense up and down the field.
The vibe improved slightly in the second half, but the game was already out of reach.
During parts of the game, the defense couldn't stop anyone. There isn't an elite-pass rusher within a country mile of Halas Hall.
On the other side of the ball -- Cutler or no Cutler -- the offense is stagnant under new coordinator Dowell Loggains.
There is little flow whatsoever, and at this rate the defense is going to burn through every person on the roster and practice squad because of all the three-and-outs.
The only saving grace is the ample playing time rookies Leonard Floyd, Cody Whitehair, Jordan Howard, Nick Kwiatkoski, Jonathan Bullard and Deiondre' Hall will receive in 2016. The baptism-by-fire approach could pay off down the line.
That's the best outcome the Bears can hope for right now.