In a season filled with gut-wrenching losses, including a Hail Mary loss, nothing was more painful for the Chicago Bears than Thursday’s Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions.
That led to some tough questions for head coach Matt Eberflus after the game.
The Bears looked in prime form to force overtime at its worst with a first-and-10 with two timeouts remaining at the Detroit 25-yard line with 46 seconds left and trailing 23-20. From there, the Bears lost 16 yards and ran just three plays.
Chicago got a playoff after quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with 32 seconds left on the game clock. It was a downfield pass that fell incomplete as time expired. Even if Rome Odunze had caught the ball, the Bears would not have had time to attempt a field goal. The game was over, and the Bears took a timeout in the locker room with their losers.
Explanation by Matt Eberflus
After the game, Eberflus was repeatedly asked to explain the final order and why the Bears didn’t use their final deadline. He told reporters that “I like what we did there” and that he hopes to save the final timeout to set up a potential game-tying field goal after the final drive.
“We had hope because it went from third to fourth [down] That we’d re-rack that play with 18 seconds left, throw it in bounds, get into field-goal range and call a timeout,” Eberfluss said. “That was it. That was our decision-making process.
“We were out of field-goal range. We had to get a few more yards there, as close as we could get. And then we were going to call a timeout. That’s why we took that last timeout at the end of the game.”
Eberfluss was then asked why he didn’t call a timeout after the game clock went under 10 seconds.
“We love our play,” Eberfluss said. “We were expecting it [Williams] Was going to call it — snap the ball. And then we’ll call time out right there.
“Once it’s down by seven, then you call a timeout there, you’re basically throwing the ball into the end zone. Because once it’s down by 12, you can’t throw it in without a timeout.”
‘I think we handled it right’
Eberflus was then asked what he would have done differently in retrospect. “I think we handled it the right way,” he told reporters at the time.
“I like what we did there,” Eberflus continued. “Again, once it’s down seven … actually down 12 — you really have no choice. Because it’s third-and-fourth, and you’ve got to throw it in the end zone.
“I think we handled it right. I believe you re-rack the play, limit it and call timeouts. That’s why we held it. It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to.”
Bear obviously didn’t handle it the “right way”. And because of that, in a season filled with game-defining gaffes by his team, Eberfluss was asked about his job security — again.
“I just keep grinding and working, that’s what I do,” Eberflus said.
What else is he going to say at this point?
The mood in the postgame locker room was understandably somber. A reporter asked Eberflus about the players that he did not offer his usual postgame address to the team. Eberflus denied that and said he addressed the team as usual, calling it “the same operation.”
DJ Moore: ‘We’re just in bed’
In the locker room, receiver DJ Moore addressed the late-game meltdown.
“We have to find a way to win,” Moore said. “We keep coming back to these games. And we actually have time to win the game and we’re just in bed.”
Why did the Bears close the deadline for the final game? Moore doesn’t know.
“I don’t think we’re stuck,” Moore said. “We got right back on the ball and made a play. Like I said, I don’t know why we didn’t call a timeout.”
When asked why late-game situations were going wrong for the Bears, cornerback Kyler Gordon didn’t want to talk about it.
“Next question,” said Gordon. “No comment.”
When Thursday’s game ends?
“I won’t lie to you,” Gordon said. “I thought at least we were going to kick a field goal. It happened. It happened.”
Eberflus was asked about players losing confidence in his leadership.
“We have to pull together,” Abeflas said in response. “We just have to pull together, believe in each other.”
When asked about his responsibility in Chicago’s failed end-game execution, Eberflus took the blame.
“I’m the head football coach,” continued Eberflus. “Of course I take the blame. That’s what you do. We didn’t do it. It starts at the top. It starts here. The accountability is here to me. Again, we just do it better. I have to do it better.”
It’s not the first time this season that Iberflus has had to address a late-game setback. He is running out of opportunities to explain himself.
