The Chicago Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus, opting to “move in a different direction” a day after botched clock management doomed their comeback bid against the Detroit Lions.
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For the first time in 105 years of existence, the Bears parted ways with their head coach during the season.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement assistant Thomas Brown, recently installed as interim offensive coordinator, had been named interim head coach.
Poles said after a meeting with club chairman George McCaskey and chief executive Kevin Warren “we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head-coaching position.” The Bears fell to their sixth straight NFL defeat on Thursday. They had clawed back from a 16-0 deficit and trailed by just three points late in the fourth quarter.
A pair of penalties hampered the Bears’ final drive but despite rookie quarterback Caleb Williams taking a sack with 36 seconds left in the game, a field goal opportunity remained well within reach.
But instead of taking a timeout, the Bears offense tried to set up to gain some more yards for kicker Cairo Santos, losing precious time.
The ball was snapped with just six seconds left and Williams threw an incomplete pass as the clock ran out.
Eberflus had insisted after the game the Bears “handled it the right way” as they sought to preserve their final timeout to set up a potential game-tying field goal.
But it was just one more heartbreaker this season for the Bears, who fell 18-15 to the Washington Commanders in week eight and in week 11 fell 20-19 to Green Bay in a game in which a potential game-winning Chicago field goal was blocked.
A week later they lost in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings.
“I support Ryan and the decision that was made this morning,” president and CEO Kevin Warren said.
“We understand how imperative the head-coaching role is for building and maintaining a championship-caliber team, leading our players and our organization,” Warren added in the team’s statement. “Our fans have stood by us and persevered through every challenge, and they deserve better results. Our organizational and operational structure is strong, focused, aligned and energized for the future.”
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