Time ran out on the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving in losing to the Detroit Lions. On Black Friday, time ran out on head coach Matt Eberflus.
After the disaster in clock management at the end of the game, the Bears fired Eberflus. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will serve as the interim head coach. Brown recently moved into the OC position when first-year OC Shane Waldron was fired.
This marks the first time in the franchise’s 105 years that a head coach has been fired during the season.
It is the end of a disappointing run. Chicago is 4-8 in the NFC North. The Bears have more losses than the other three teams in the division combined (six).
Eberflus defended his clock management at the end of the loss to the Lions after the game. The last 32 seconds ticked off the clock painfully as Caleb William appeared lost while trying to call a play on a third-and-26.
The Bears had a timeout left and should have used it when it became apparent Williams was out of sorts. Ebeflus didn’t and that wound up as the final play in a debacle.
It also was the final play in Ebeflus’ tenure as head coach. He was 14-32 as head coach in Chicago.
After drafting Williams first, there was so much hope for Chicago this year. However, they have lost six in a row.
The one-score loss added to an awful statistic for Eberflus, who is was 5-19 in one-score games during his career with the Bears. According to the Associated Press, Eberflus is now one of 221 NFL coaches who have coached at least 20 games decided by seven points or less. His record was worst of any of those 221 coaches.