The Chicago Bears appeared to be on their way to snatching triumph from the jaws of defeat, threatening to make the Detroit Lions pay for their late-game inability to execute effectively. But, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Lions will be grateful to Bears head coach Matt Eberflus for his confusing late-game decision-making in Chicago’s 23-20 loss.
With 32 seconds remaining and a third-and-26 facing the Bears following an unfortunate six-yard loss on a sack to quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears chose not to call a timeout, with Eberflus possibly hoping for his team to set up a quick play and gain a few yards to at least get into field-goal range before extending the game with a timeout. However, Williams and the Bears modified the play call, burning the clock even more, and by the time the ball was snapped, Chicago needed to get the ball to the end zone in any way possible — which they couldn’t because Rome Odunze failed to catch the ball.
To put this decision by Eberlus and the Bears in context, OptaSTATS pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) that of the 1,501 times that an NFL team has lost a game in regulation by a deficit of one to three points over the past 30 years, only the Bears on November 28, 2024 “ran a play from inside the opponent’s 30 on the final drive but ultimately had time expire without bringing out the FG unit & without using all their timeouts.”
Matt Eberflus and the Bears continue to be the comedic gift that keeps on giving
The Bears were already raising heads in the NFL with their incredible comeback after the Lions seized a 16-0 lead at halftime. It did help that the Lions had some self-inflicted wounds, but credit goes to the Bears for capitalizing on the situation and putting themselves in position to win the game in the final moments.
However, it seems as if the Bears cannot have nice things, even on Thanksgiving. Eberflus left Caleb Williams hanging, as he had to change the play after realizing they wouldn’t be allowed to call a timeout if they ran the initial playcall. To make matters worse, Eberflus is justifying his late-game gaffe. It might be time for a coaching change in the Windy City.
