The Chicago Bears lost their fourth consecutive game on Sunday, this time by way of a blocked field goal attempt as time expired against the Green Bay Packers. Any team on a four-game losing streak will be heavily scrutinized but head coach Matt Eberflus has fallen under a particularly harsh microscope for what the Bears did in the lead-up to the final play.
While kicker Cairo Santos ultimately attempted a 46-yard field goal, Chicago had a prime opportunity to get him closer. The offense had the ball with 35 seconds left and one timeout, while the Packers had no timeouts. Yet they didn't make much of an effort to gain any yards, to the surprise of even the Packers' players, and went for the 46-yarder.
The sequence has been pinpointed as a marquee example of Eberflus's questionable late-game decision-making. On Sunday after the game, the embattled head coach defended this particular move.
"They were loading the box there," Eberflus said, per Pro Football Talk. "You could say you could do that for sure, maybe get a couple more yards, but you’re also going to risk fumbling and different things there. We felt where we were, if we’re at the 36 or 35, you definitely want to do that because you want to get it inside there. I felt very confident where we were at that time with the wind and where we were on the field."
The closer the kick, the easier the attempt would be for Santos and therefore the less likely the Packers would block it. Yet Eberflus is correct on balancing the risk and reward. Is going all-out to make it a 40-yard attempt worth it?
Eberflus determined it was not and it backfired. He's paid to make those decisions— and more importantly face the consequences.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Matt Eberflus Defends Bears' Confusing Decision Before Blocked Field Goal Attempt .
