Rex Ryan says he's glad he's not coaching defense against the next generation of NFL quarterbacks.
There was 35 seconds left on the clock. The Bears had 1st-and-10. If Eberflus hurried his offense to the line, it would’ve had time for one, maybe two, or maybe even three opportunities to advance the ball down field on a quick out route to the sideline. He also had a third timeout in his pocket if his player could not get out of bounds after the short catch.
Chicago could’ve tried at least one more play to get his kicker closer to the uprights. There was not a concern about the clock running out. Instead, Eberflus ran the ball, killed 32 seconds, called his last timeout with three seconds left and trotted out his kicker for a 46-yard game-winning field goal.
The Chicago Bears lost.
Poor clock management aside, Cairo Santos had been one of the more reliable kickers in the NFL over his last five years with the Bears. A 46-yard attempt was within range.
None of the aforementioned circumstances mattered in the end because the Packers blocked the kick. They won the game as time expired!
BLOCKED!!!!! PACKERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/3fXINLHddx
— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 17, 2024
However, Santos should have received a second attempt from 15 yards closer on an untimed down. Chicago long snapper Patrick Scales got blown up at the line of scrimmage by Karl Brooks and T.J. Slaton. His head was down as the Green Bay defensive linemen made contact.
A long snapper is considered defenseless when his head is down during the snap. It is illegal to make contact. The Packers should have been called for a personal foul.
To go even one step further, it is illegal for a defensive player to use an offensive player as leverage on the block. You cannot propel yourself into the air.
Slaton pushed off of Scales’ back — while his head was down — to block the kick.
People were interested in these podcasts
Even though the Chicago Bears did not deserve to win the game, they had an opportunity to do so in the closing seconds. The kick was blocked, but the officials missed two penalties.
You have chosen to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your information from this site and any of its affiliates. To opt back in please click the "Customize my ad experience" link.
This site collects information through the use of cookies and other tracking tools. Cookies and these tools do not contain any information that personally identifies a user, but personal information that would be stored about you may be linked to the information stored in and obtained from them. This information would be used and shared for Analytics, Ad Serving, Interest Based Advertising, among other purposes.
