The Chicago Bears made a significant move on Friday, as multiple media outlets reported the firing of third-year head coach Matt Eberflus. This decision came less than 24 hours after Eberflus's team suffered their sixth consecutive defeat, including a third straight loss decided in the final moments. The Bears' record now stands at 4-8 for the season.
According to various sources, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take over as the interim head coach. Eberflus had just announced his plans to continue business as usual during his Friday morning news conference with reporters. He was scheduled to meet with team president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles shortly after the conference.
"The operation has been normal," Eberflus stated about his plans for the day, with players enjoying a long weekend before returning to practice on Monday. The Bears have never fired a coach during the season, and Eberflus expressed confidence that he would continue preparing for the Week 14 matchup against the 49ers.
Eberflus, 54, had a promising start with the Bears, winning his coaching debut 19-10 in 2022. However, his record since then has been 13-32. The Bears' recent loss to Detroit was a 23-20 defeat, marked by a late-game sequence where quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked in field-goal range.
Despite having options such as spiking the ball to stop the clock or going for a first down, Eberflus opted not to call a timeout. The ball was snapped 28 seconds later, resulting in an incompletion as time expired. Media scrutiny has often focused on Eberflus's accountability, but he defended the team's handling of the final sequence, stating, "the operation wasn’t fast enough."
Wide receiver Keenan Allen commented that the players had done enough to win the game. Williams, on the other hand, noted that the timeout decision wasn't his to make. General manager Ryan Poles visited Williams in the locker room for a discussion, while team president Kevin Warren observed the scene as the team prepared to return to Chicago with an 0-3 record in the NFC North.
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