Matt Eberflus's hot seat as head coach of the Chicago Bears just got hotter.
The Bears' attempt to march down the field and kick a potential game-tying field goal against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving at Ford Field was thwarted by Eberflus's head-scratching clock management in the final 30 seconds.
With 33 seconds left, Chicago rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked on second down back at Detroit's 41-yard line. The Bears still had one timeout. But instead of stopping the clock and setting up a third-down play, Eberflus opted to let the clock wind down. The Bears' next snap did not touch Williams's hands until there were six seconds to play. His deep pass fell incomplete, the game ended and Eberflus walked to the locker room with a timeout in his pocket.
In his postgame press conference, Eberflus explained that his plan was to have Williams throw a pass inbounds on third down and call a timeout for a field-goal attempt on fourth down. But the Bears didn't have enough time to do either.
"We like the play that we had," Eberflus said to the media. "We were hoping [Williams] would get the ball snapped, and we would've called timeout right there. But once it's under seven [seconds] there, if you call timeout, you're basically throwing to the end zone [on the next play]."
When asked if he'd do anything differently in retrospect, Eberflus doubled down on his late-game decision.
"I like what we did there," he said. "Again, once it's under 12 [seconds], you really don't have an option. Because it's third [down], then fourth, and you got to throw it into the end zone then. To me, I think we handled it the right way. ... It didn't work out the way we wanted it to."
A wild end to this one. #CHIvsDET pic.twitter.com/zwR7g1Efv9
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024
Eberflus also answered a question about his job security heading into Week 14.
"This is the NFL," he said. "I know where it is. I'm just going to put my best foot forward. I'll get the work and keep grinding."
The Bears will venture into the holiday weekend on a six-game losing streak, one they will bring with them to Levi's Stadium for a Week 14 clash against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 8.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Matt Eberflus Doubles Down on Bears' Game-Ending Clock Management Blunder vs. Lions.
