The Chicago Bears squandered a 21-point second-half lead to the Denver Broncos, which resulted in a heartbreaking 31-28 loss, the Bears’ 14th straight.
One of the turning points in the game was Chicago electing to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Denver 18-yard line instead of kicking a field goal that would’ve given them a 31-28 lead. But in true Bears fashion, the Broncos got the stop as running back Khalil Herbert was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.
Head coach Matt Eberflus met with the media following Sunday’s game, where he explained the decision to go for it on fourth-and-one rather than kick a field goal and take a nearly-guaranteed lead.
“Just because of the way we were running it,” Eberflus said after the game. “It was a half a yard. So I felt very confident about getting that right there. Every situation’s different. You’ve got to look at the game in its entirety, and I think that the way we were running the football and the confidence that we had on offense in that moment, I would say that you know, we’re going to do that right there.”
There’s certainly an argument to be made for Chicago going for it on fourth and short. Not only would it keep the clock running, but the Bears defense was struggling to keep the Broncos out of the end zone in the second half.
If there’s a main criticism, it’s the play call from offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who called a run straight up the middle when everyone in Soldier Field knew the ball was going to Herbert.
Eberflus was asked about why the play was run out of shotgun instead of under center for the one-yard gain.
“There’s a lot of plays that you can run there,” Eberflus said. “You can run a bunch of different plays. That’s the play we chose. That’s the play we thought was the best at the time.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t work. Herbert ran into a wall, and Chicago turned the ball over on downs. Denver proceeded to drive 48 yards in five plays to boot what would be a 51-yard, game-winning field goal.