Chicago Bears fans had little to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day, as a series of late-game blunders led to another stunning loss.
But, not surprisingly, the absence of head coach Matt Eberflus means Christmas has come early for some Bears fans who can check at least one item off their wish list.
Friday morning will be his last press conference. Everflus maintained He'll still be behind the bench come Sunday.
“I have the confidence to work.” [next week when we play] San Francisco…” the head coach said a few hours before being shown the door.
Eberflus said after Sunday's game that he met with both Chicago's president and general manager, as he does every week. He also said the three planned to speak again later in the day.
Talk of job security, or lack thereof, is still fresh from Thursday's 23-20 loss to Detroit.
“The game just wasn't quick enough,” Eberflus said of the Bears' heavily scrutinized final drive.
It's an astute observation, one that any of the 65,000-plus employees at Ford Field could have predicted.
AP
With less than three minutes remaining and the Bears trailing by three points, Williams and the Chicago offense drove all the way down the field from their own 1-yard line into the Lions' territory.
What happened next has been told many times: penalties, sacks, missed timeouts. In Chicago, sadly;In Detroit, radiantly; and also in the Post in anticipation. It was a meltdown of epic proportions, even by Bears standards.
Everflus was set on fire in the CBS booth by Jim Nantz and Tony Romo. The calls for the coach's firing have been louder than at any other point in the Bears' 4-8 season.
The Man of the Day addressed the postgame debacle during media availability Friday morning, saying he reviewed the final drive with interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown earlier in the day.
“I thought the strategy worked, but the penalties just put us on the back foot,” Eberflus said. “We were in scoring position, but [we] You really could have owned the game there. ”
Regarding the decision not to take a timeout at a critical moment late in the final drive, Eberflus said that option was on the table, but he chose not to take a timeout because he wanted to stop the clock before the final game. Second field goal attempt.
However, there was no timeout, so no attempt was made.
“These decisions are all my own,” Eberflus said. “I take full responsibility for them and we couldn't do it. It's disappointing for the players and for the fans.”
The suffering may not be over for the Chicago faithful, but it is for Eberflus.
