Bears coach Matt Eberflus on the disastrous final sequence of the loss to the Lions: “I like what we did there”

In a season full of heartbreaking losses, including a Hail Mary defeat, none was more painful for the Chicago Bears than Thursday’s Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions.

After the game, this led to some tough questions for head coach Matt Eberflus.

The Bears appeared to be in prime shape to force overtime at worst, with a first-and-10 at the Detroit 25-yard line with 46 seconds and two timeouts remaining while trailing 23-20. From there, the Bears lost 16 yards and only ran three plays.

Chicago got a playoff after quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with 32 seconds left in the game. It was a downfield pass that fell incomplete as time expired. Even if Rome Odunze had caught the ball, the Bears wouldn’t have had time to attempt a field goal. The game was over and the Bears took a timeout and went to the losers’ locker room.

Statement from Matt Eberflus

After the game, Eberflus was asked repeatedly to explain the final sequence and why the Bears didn’t use their final timeout. He told reporters that “I like what we did there” and that he hoped to save the final timeout to score a potential game-winning field goal on the final play.

Eberflus was then asked why he didn’t call a timeout when the game clock was under 10 seconds.

“I think we handled it right”

Ebrflus was then asked what he would have done differently in hindsight. He then told reporters: “I think we handled it right.”

The Bears obviously didn’t handle it “right.” And that’s why Eberflus was asked again about his job security in a season full of his team’s game-winning gaffes.

“I’m just going to keep grinding and working. That’s what I do.”

What else will he say at this point?

The mood in the dressing room after the game was understandably somber. A reporter asked Eberflus about the players and said that he had not given the team his usual address after the game. Eberflus denied this and said he addressed the team as usual and described it as “the same operation.”

DJ Moore: “We just shit the bed”

In the locker room, receiver DJ Moore talked about the collapse at the end of the game.

“We have to find a way to win,” he said. “We keep coming back in these games. And we have time to actually win the game and we’ll just shit the bed.”

Why didn’t the Bears call a timeout on the last play? Moore doesn’t know.

“I don’t think we huddled together,” Moore said. “We just got the ball back and made a play. Like I said, I don’t know why we didn’t take a timeout.”

When asked why end-of-game situations keep going wrong for the Bears, cornerback Kyler Gordon didn’t want to talk about it.

“Next question,” Gordon said. “No comment.”

As for the end of Thursday’s game?

“I’m not going to lie to you,” Gordon said. “I thought we would at least get a field goal. It is what it is. It happened.”

Eberflus was asked if players had lost confidence in his leadership.

“We have to pull together,” replied Ebeflus. “We just have to keep pulling together and keep believing in each other.”

When asked about his responsibility for Chicago’s failed execution at the end of the game, Eberflus took the blame.

It’s not the first time this season that Eberflus has had to deal with late-game failures. He’s running out of chances to explain himself.