In a season filled with gut-wrenching losses, including a Hail Mary defeat, none was more painful for the Chicago Bears than Thursday’s Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions.
It led to some tough questioning for head coach Matt Eberflus after the game.
The Bears looked in prime shape to force overtime at worst with first-and-10 at the Detroit 25-yard line with 46 seconds and two timeouts remaining while trailing, 23-20. From there, the Bears lost 16 yards and ran just three plays.
Chicago got one play off 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 wouldn’t have had time to attempt a field goal. The game was over, and the Bears took a timeout with them to the losing locker room.
Matt Eberflus’ explanation
After the game, Eberflus was asked repeatedly to explain the final sequence and why the Bears didn’t use their final timeout. He told reporters that “I like what we did there” and that he was hoping to preserve the final timeout to set up a potential game-tying field goal after running the final play.
“Our hope was because it was third going into fourth [down] that we would re-rack that play at 18 seconds, throw it in bounds, get into field-goal range and call a timeout,” Eberflus said. “That’s where it was. That was our decision-making process on that.
“We were outside the field-goal range. We needed to get a few more yards in there, as close as we can get. And then we were gonna call timeout. That’s why we held that last timeout at the end of the game.”
Eberflus was then asked why he didn’t call a timeout once the game clock ran under 10 seconds.
“We like the play that we had,” Eberflus said.” We were hoping that [Williams] was going to call it — get the ball snapped. And then we would have called time out right there.
“Once it’s under seven there, then you call timeout there, you’re basically throwing the ball to the end zone. Because once it’s under 12, you can’t throw it inside with no timeout.”
‘I think we handled it the right way’
Eberflus was then asked what would he have done different in retrospect. That’s when he told reporters, “I think we handled it the right way.”
“I like what we did there,” Eberflus continued. “Again, once it’s under seven … actually under 12 — really you don’t have an option. Because it’s third into fourth, and you’ve got to throw it into the end zone then.
“I think we handled it the right way. I do believe that you just re-rack the play, get it in bounds and call timeout. That’s why we held it. It didn’t work out the way we wanted it to.”
The Bears clearly didn’t handle it “the right way.” And because of it, during a season filled with game-deciding gaffes by his team, Eberflus was asked about his job security — again.
“I’m just gonna 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 sullen. One reporter asked Eberflus about players saying that he didn’t offer his normal postgame address to the team. Eberflus denied that was the case and said he addressed the team as usual, calling it “the same operation.”
DJ Moore: ‘We just s*** the bed’
In the locker room, receiver DJ Moore addressed the late-game meltdown.
“We’ve got to find out a way to win,” Moore said. “We keep coming back in these games. And we have time to actually win the game and we just s*** the bed.”
As for why the Bears didn’t call a timeout on the final play? Moore doesn’t know.
“I don’t think we huddled,” Moore said. “We just got right back on the ball and ran a play. Like I said, I don’t know why we didn’t call a timeout.”
When asked why end-of-game situations keep going wrong for the Bears, cornerback Kyler Gordon didn’t want to talk about it.
“Next question,” Gordon said. “No comment.”
As for the end of Thursday’s game?
“I’m not gonna lie to you,” Gordon said. “I thought at least we were gonna kick a field goal. It is what it is. It happened.”
Eberflus was asked about players losing confidence in his leadership.
“We’ve got to pull together,” Ebeflus said in response. “We’ve just gotta keep pulling together, keep believing 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,” Eberflus continued. “I’m taking the blame, of course. That’s what you do. We didn’t get it done. That starts at the top. That starts right here. Accountability is right here with me. Again, we’ve just got to do it better. I’ve got to do it better.”
It’s not the first time this season that Eberflus has had to address late-game failures. He’s running out of chances to explain himself.