The Chicago Bears appeared poised to pull off their third consecutive victory against a playoff-contending Cleveland Browns team. The Bears held a 17-7 lead as the third quarter drew to a close — and the rest, as they say, is history.
Chicago has notably struggled closing out games in the fourth quarter under head coach Matt Eberflus, but it seemed as if they’d finally learned how to close out games following their 28-13 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 14.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, as the Browns outscored the Bears 13-0 in the fourth quarter to pull off the comeback win and dropping Chicago to 5-9 on the season.
The Bears have now lost three games this season where they held a 10-plus point lead in the fourth quarter. That’s tied for the most in a season in NFL history — and there are still three games left on the schedule.
The Bears have lost three games this season where they had a 10+ point lead in the 4th Qtr.
That's tied for the most in a season in NFL history. pic.twitter.com/18AcNhfITY
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) December 17, 2023
It’s the latest in a series franchise or league worsts for Eberflus’ team. Whether it’s a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak and 10-game home losing streak or historic blown losses, including Week 11 against the Lions. It’s not exactly a vote of confidence for Eberflus, who is fighting for his job during this final stretch.
If the Bears would’ve won those three games (against the Denver Broncos, Lions and Browns), they would be 8-6 and in the thick of the playoff hunt. In fact, they’d be just one game behind the Lions and poised to win the NFC North.
There’s no denying how Eberflus has helped turn this defense around, aided by the addition of star defensive end Montez Sweat. But it’s losses like Sunday’s, where Eberflus opted against taking the free three points that would’ve sent this game to overtime, where it’s clear he isn’t a good head coach.
So much for turning a corner. If anything, it looks like the Bears are going to turn the page on a new head coach after this season.
