Matt Eberflus Fired As Bears Coach One Day After Thanksgiving Debacle
Editor's Note: After the below story was published, the Bears fired Matt Eberflus. More on OutKick shortly…
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There are times when you make such an obvious mistake at work that you know you should just clean out your office. Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus made one of those yesterday.
The Bears had clawed their way back from two separate 16-point deficits to get the score to 23-20 on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions. Moreover, they had the ball at the Detroit 41 with 26 seconds to go and a timeout. With the proper time management, Chicago could have easily gotten themselves into a more manageable field goal opportunity to send the game into overtime.
However, in the most Chicago Bears way possible, they squandered that opportunity. Eberflus let the clock run down to six seconds before Caleb Williams snapped the ball, and then Williams heaved a hopeless ball to Rome Odunze that fell incomplete - and the game was over.
To recap, the Bears did not send anyone over the middle for a quick completion on this play (thus making a field goal try easier), Williams took 16 seconds to get the play off - and Eberflus just let it all happen with a timeout at his disposal.
That’s a fire-able offense. Not only did this happen at the end of a fierce comeback, it happened on Thanksgiving Day. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
And yet somehow, life has carried on with business as usual for Eberflus today. According to The Athletic's Adam Jahns, Eberflus had calls with general manager Ryan Poles and team president Kevin Warren, who inexplicably didn’t fire him (Jahns found this out after watching a 9-minute Zoom call with the Bears' skipper participating). However, the coach will have discussions with his superiors later today as well.
Furthermore, Eberflus is currently operating as if he has complete job security.
I mean, I guess that’s okay; you’re still employed until you’re not. But if I were in the coach’s shoes, I’d be very nervous about that afternoon call with the Chicago brass.
That could be a rather unpleasant conversation.