At this level, working down precisely how Matt Eberflus continues to blow it for the Chicago Bears seems like an exhaustive activity. It virtually looks as if he’s inventing methods for the Bears to lose, and after heroic Caleb Williams performances, no much less.
However, oh my goodness, the best way Eberflus threw away one other doable Bears victory on Thanksgiving in opposition to the Detroit Lions may take the cake for all of his failures.
Let’s take it to the top of the fourth quarter.
After the Lions and Penei Sewell turned in a dominant first-half efficiency, the Bears protection started to hem Detroit in. Extra importantly, Williams had been chic, delivering heroic throw after heroic throw in a assured method that actually does make him seem to be the NFL’s subsequent celebrity quarterback.
On a possession the place the Bears began at their very own one-yard line down 23-20, Williams comfortably acquired them into subject objective vary on the Lions’ 25-yard line. From that time on, most practical groups with accountable management as their coach would most likely win or no less than get the game-tying subject objective out of it. Proper?
Uh … proper?
Let me introduce you to Matt Eberflus’ Chicago Bears.
An unlawful hands-to-the-face penalty knocked out a Keenan Allen catch into the deep purple zone. Williams took a sack on second and really lengthy and appeared a tad out of kinds. Fortuitously, the Bears had a timeout and will arrange their game-tying subject objective try whereas calming all the pieces down.
Eberflus didn’t try this. He watched Williams hurriedly get everybody on Bears offense into place. It appeared much more complicated and chaotic than it can ever learn, belief me. And as a substitute of taking a timeout and maybe working a gimme play to get a better subject objective strive, Eberflus watched Williams throw a deep cross to nowhere for the loss.
That’s proper. Eberflus watched 36 seconds tick off the clock — with a timeout in hand — in subject objective vary. To lose the sport.
It’s one of the crucial baffling end-game sequences you’ll ever see. Whereas this doesn’t absolve Williams maybe taking a timeout himself, it’s nonetheless on another person to step up and again him up. Somebody on the sideline who ought to be managing the sport.
It’s so good for coach who has no nerve or confidence within the clutch at a traditionally low degree:
“I can not consider they did not take a timeout!”
Lions win in a CRAZY end over the Bears 😮 pic.twitter.com/iLqZLMKpDh
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 28, 2024
I imply, what else are you able to say in regards to the Bears’ futility with the sport on the road beneath Eberflus’ steerage?
I can’t keep in mind the final time I’ve seen a group combust like this in a inventive trend the best way they do. Each time the Bears have a win on faucet in an in depth ending, Eberflus freezes like a deer in headlights. Irrespective of how nicely the Bears protection performs, regardless of how quarterbacks like Justin Fields then and Caleb Williams now play, Eberflus seemingly can’t metal up the cool-headed confidence to protect his gamers’ efforts.
Within the postgame, Nate Burleson stated he’d by no means name for somebody’s job, however he did point out how coaches lose their jobs over issues like what the Bears did.
He’s not incorrect:
“Your duty is to not panic in vital conditions… That is an enormous, large fail by Matt Eberflus.”@M_Ryan02 can’t consider the Bears’ clock administration on the finish of their loss 😬 pic.twitter.com/aXwXoEc4Ju
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 28, 2024
As soon as once more, the Bears have by no means fired a coach midseason. And in the event that they don’t do it after their present man threw away yet one more win, they’re simply going to maintain placing Eberflus’ clutch-time anxiousness on an alarming show.
I’ve written some model of “hearth Eberflus” for weeks now. However Thanksgiving exceeded all of that after which some.
Somebody nearly as good as Caleb Williams deserves higher than Matt Eberflus. So do the Bears. We’ll see whether or not they notice that quickly.
