The Chicago Bears fired Head Coach Matt Eberflus earlier today. Ebeflus has had a rough three seasons at the helm in “The Windy City.” He ended with a 14-32 record with the Chicago Bears. Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown will be the interim coach for the remainder of the season. Eberflus entered the 2024 season on the hot seat, and his performance this season did him no favors when it came to keeping his job. Two particular coaching faux pas led to today’s news.
The first mistake occurred in Week 8 on the road against the Washington Commanders. The Chicago Bears allowed a Hail Mary as time expired to lose the game in heartbreaking fashion. What made this play worse, was that Chicago Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was taunting the Washington fans as the play transpired. Stevenson ended up tipping the pass into the waiting arms of Commanders Wide Receiver Noah Brown. Eberflus also mismanaged the clock on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions.
Chicago Bears Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with 36 seconds left in the fourth quarter with a timeout remaining down 23-20. Instead of either calling their final timeout or quickly running a play to try to get into field goal range, Chicago snapped the ball with six seconds left. The pass fell incomplete and the game was over. This sequence in particular sealed the fate of Eberflus as the Chicago Bears head coach. Following yesterday’s game, the players questioned the decisions made by Eberflus in the game’s waning moments. Will a new head coach lead to improved results on the field?
Chicago Bears Season Summary
Black Friday: For the first time in the 100-plus year history of the franchise, the Chicago Bears have made an in-season head-coaching change, firing Matt Eberflus.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 29, 2024
A 2024 season that started with high expectations has been an abject failure as the Chicago Bears are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Chicago drafted Williams No. 1 in April’s NFL Draft and made key offseason acquisitions including signing Running Back D’Andre Swift and Wide Receiver Keenan Allen. Williams showed flashes of excellence this season but has struggled to sustain that level of play over the breadth of the regular season.
The Chicago Bears did nothing well this season and are in last place in the NFC North with a 4-8 record. They have a mediocre offense and the defense, the calling card of Eberflus, did not play up to expectations this year. They are 19th in yards allowed per game and ninth in points allowed.
Final Thoughts
With the NFL Playoffs seemingly out of reach, the Chicago Bears will look to end the season on a high note and enter the offseason with quality games. The first game of the Brown era will be a road matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The news on Eberflus was not surprising as the Chicago Bears, given the disappointing season, needed a different voice to lead the team over the final month of the regular season.
