The Chicago Bears are clearly in dysfunction, while the team’s head coach is steeped in denial over his own mistakes.
Chicago blew yet another game in the final seconds, failing to appropriately manage the clock against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day, which resulted in time running out before the Bears were able to a attempt a game-tying field goal.
Following the loss, Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus defended his handling of the final seconds in the face of essentially universal criticism across the social media landscape.
“[Bears] coach Matt Eberflus on the final sequence: The hope was to re-rack the play, snap the ball at 18 seconds, throw in-bounds, call timeout and then kick the field goal,” Eberflus said, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. “Still likes how they handled it. ‘We’ve just got to do a better job together.'”
Former ESPN analyst Trey Wingo offered his perspective on Eberflus’ explanation of events.
“Matt Eberflus saying he thinks the [Chicago Bears] handled the end of the game the right way is way worse than what actually happened,” Wingo posted to X.
Wide receiver Keenan Allen also took a clear shot at the team’s coaching staff following the game, veiling it only thinly.
“I feel like we did enough as players to win the game,” Allen said during his postgame interview.
Bears Squandered Yet Another Good Game From QB Caleb Williams
GettyChicago Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen.
Allen had his best game of the season against the NFL’s top team, catching 5 passes for 73 yards and 2 scores.
Quarterback Caleb Williams also had a big game, throwing for 256 yards and 3 TDs as well as rushing for 39 yards on 4 carries.
The Bears locker room has presented as unified of a front as fans can expect amid all of the late-game gaffes by the coaching staff, but Allen’s criticism comes on the heels of critical comments from star cornerback Jaylon Johnson following Chicago’s overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings just four days ago.
“I don’t think it’s something where it’s, ‘Okay, we got to come in and get the right guys in the building.’ For the most part, as far as the locker room goes, we have the right guys,” Johnson said on the “Spiegel & Holmes Show” Monday. “We have enough to be able to win right now and to be a playoff team again. We just haven’t put it all together, top to bottom, as far as being able to execute, be put in the right positions, just really all of it.”
Bears Could Fire Matt Eberflus Ahead of Next Game
GettyChicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
It may now be difficult for Chicago’s front office to justify keeping Eberflus employed through the remainder of the season, let alone into 2025.
The Bears have now lost six games in a row, including three consecutive division contests all by one score and all in the final seconds of games in which Eberflus made critical errors.
Chicago’s only option at this point would probably be to elevate interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown into a head coaching role, despite the fact that he was the team’s pass game coordinator just one month ago.
