The clock has run out on Matt Eberflus in Chicago.
The Bears fired Eberflus as their head coach Friday, lower than 24 hours after Chicago’s pricey clock mismanagement clinched a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
The loss was the sixth within the row for the Bears, who fell to 4-8 this 12 months and went 14-32 underneath Eberflus over the previous three seasons.
Thomas Brown will function interim head coach.
“I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization,” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said Friday in a statement. “We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
Trailing by three factors Thursday, Bears’ quarterback Caleb Williams took a six-yard sack on 2nd and 20 that introduced him down on the Detroit 41-yard line — and certain out of field-goal vary — with 33 seconds left within the fourth quarter.
Fairly than name Chicago’s last timeout, Eberflus allowed the clock to maintain operating, and the Bears didn’t run one other play till there have been six seconds remaining.
Williams threw a deep go to extensive receiver Rome Odunze that landed in need of the objective line as time expired.
“I think we handled it the right way,” Eberflus stated afterward. “I do believe that you just rerack the play, get it in bounds and call timeout, and that’s why we held it.”
The Bears trailed 23-7 going into the fourth quarter however had rallied for the prospect to tie or win the sport on that fateful last possession.
“I don’t know why we didn’t call a timeout,” extensive receiver D.J. Moore stated.
“I really feel we did sufficient as gamers to win the sport,” added fellow extensive receiver Keenan Allen.
The Bears nonetheless had Eberflus maintain his typical next-day press convention on Friday morning, about two hours earlier than they fired him.
Eberflus’ ousting got here a bit over two weeks after the Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldren 9 video games into his first season within the function.
Brown, who lower than a month in the past was the Bears’ passing sport coordinator, changed Waldren as offensive coordinator earlier than being elevated Friday to interim head coach.
Friday’s improvement added one other chapter to a disappointing season for the Bears, who took Williams with the No. 1 total decide in April’s NFL Draft, chosen Odunze with the No. 9 decide, and traded for Allen throughout the offseason.
Regardless of the additions of that offensive firepower, the Bears entered Friday averaging 20.1 factors per sport to rank twenty third within the NFL.
Eberflus is the primary Bears head coach to be fired throughout a season. He grew to become the third NFL head coach to endure that destiny this 12 months, becoming a member of the Jets’ Robert Saleh and the New Orleans Saints’ Dennis Allen.
