Freefalling Bears hearth head coach Matt Eberflus day after beautiful clock gaffe | Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears fired third-year head coach Matt Eberflus on Friday, a number of media retailers reported.

The experiences got here lower than 24 hours after Eberflus skilled a sixth straight defeat and third consecutive loss selected the ultimate play. The Bears fell to 4-8 on the season.

Per a number of retailers, offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will function interim head coach.

His reported dismissal got here shortly after Eberflus conveyed plans to conduct enterprise as normal throughout his Friday morning information convention with reporters. He was then scheduled to satisfy with group president Kevin Warren and common supervisor Ryan Poles.

“The operation has been regular,” Eberflus mentioned of his plans for Friday within the workplace, with gamers house for the lengthy weekend earlier than returning to apply Monday.

The Bears have by no means fired a coach in-season and Eberflus indicated he didn’t anticipate to be the primary.

“I’m assured that I’ll be engaged on to San Francisco and preparing for that recreation,” Eberflus mentioned, pointing to the Week 14 matchup with the 49ers.

Eberflus, 54, received his teaching debut with the Bears, 19-10, in 2022 however is 13-32 since.

On Thursday, Chicago misplaced 23-20 at Detroit, rallying from a dormant first half and had the ball in field-goal vary when quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked. In a sequence that started with 32 seconds on the sport clock, the Bears had choices. They might have spiked the ball to cease the clock, making an attempt what would have been round a 60-yard discipline aim, or going for a primary down with loads of time to “clock” the ball.

An alternative choice Eberflus selected to not use was calling a timeout.

As a substitute, the ball was snapped 28 seconds later and Williams heaved an incompletion down the suitable sideline as time expired.

Media members repeatedly have questioned Eberflus in press convention settings about taking private accountability. However on Friday he mentioned the Bears dealt with the ultimate sequence appropriately and “the operation wasn’t quick sufficient.”

Vast receiver Keenan Allen mentioned Thursday afternoon that “we did sufficient as gamers to win the sport.”

Williams mentioned the timeout name wasn’t his to make.

“We are able to name a timeout there or we can’t,” he mentioned. “I’m not going to say I used to be shocked. My job is simply to go on the market and make performs. I let the coaches and everyone make that call – it’s their name. Perhaps within the later years of my profession, it will likely be my name.”

Poles paid a private go to to Williams within the locker room for a dialogue, and Warren stood watch to soak up the wide-lens scene of the locker room packing to return to Chicago with an 0-3 file within the NFC North. The Bears had possibilities to beat all three division opponents, however the Packers blocked a game-winning FG try by Cairo Santos, the Vikings escaped Chicago with a 30-27 additional time win and the Lions wriggled away Thanksgiving Day with Chicago threatening within the remaining minute.