Matt Eberflus gives wild reasons for the Bears to challenge Jordan Addison’s 69-yard catch

After Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison hauled in a 69-yard pass from Sam Darnold against the Bears on Sunday, Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus decided to challenge the play.

Not because he necessarily thought Addison had left the field, but because it was a big win?

“I threw the challenge flag because it was an explosive,” Eberflus told local media on Monday morning. “You know, it’s 69 yards — and our defense did a wonderful job stopping them there for a field goal. I was really happy with this part of Throw the Flag.

“And again, I understand side hustles and all that stuff,” he continued. “Cameras and all that. But they did a good job of helping with playback, you know, when they came in and worked with it. But uh, I think it’s always worth a challenge when you have such a big win. If it were six yards, no one would care. If it was 15 yards you probably wouldn’t care, but if it’s 70 yards it’s worth it even if we don’t get the best look we want.

Here’s a look at the piece in question:

Could he have gone out of bounds? Perhaps. But if so, then that should be the reason for the challenge. Not because of the length of the piece.

After a 14-point comeback in the fourth quarter, the Bears lost in overtime to the Vikings 30-27 on a 29-yard field goal by John Parker Romo.

Chicago is back for Thanksgiving and will face the Lions next Thursday in Detroit at 12:30 pm EST.