In wake of Matt Eberflus firing, Bears embark into uncharted territory

The Chicago Bears have officially done something they’ve never done before in their 104-year franchise history: fire a head coach in the middle of the season.

Following a third consecutive heartbreaking loss, this one 23-20 on Thanksgiving Day to the divisional rival Detroit Lions, Matt Eberflus was relieved of his coaching duties, the team announced Friday. 

The news followed Eberflus’ normal day-after weekly press conference held earlier Friday morning, wherein Eberflus said things were "business as usual" and that he was "confident" he would be coaching the Bears in their next game against the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

Two hours later, he was out.

Mismanagement and malpractice seems to go beyond the head coach position in Chicago. Making this drastic of a move when it has never done so before signals something both bleak and maybe encouraging for Bears fans.

It probably can’t get worse.

The Bears had deemed their coach a liability. It’s the only reason for firing a head coach before the season is over, and after gross incompetence in a potential game-tying situation yet again, there’s really no argument against that.

[Related: NFL head coach hot seat rankings: Matt Eberflus might not be last coach to go]

Though Chicago got off to a slow start against the NFL’s best team on the road in Thursday's nationally televised game, they fought back. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams led a touchdown drive to pull the Bears within three points with 5:36 left in the game. It was Chicago’s third touchdown in four drives. The defense then pulled it together, forcing a punt to give the Bears the ball back with 2:05 left in regulation.

It was largely a start-stop drive, but Williams and the offense got to the Lions’ 25-yard line. Penalties and an ill-timed sack taken by Williams pushed them back to the Detroit 41 with 36 seconds on the clock. Chicago had a timeout, but Eberflus inexplicably didn’t take it. Williams didn’t go fast enough. And all of a sudden, one last incompletion to Rome Odunze became the last play of the game. Just like that, Chicago lost.

Bears players were in shock. So were Lions players, for that matter. It was written all over their faces postgame. 

Then, Eberflus got to the podium — and made things worse.

"I like what we did there," Eberflus said of the last play. "Again, once it's under seven (seconds), you're going to call a timeout there — actually under 12 (seconds) and then really you don't have an option because it's third (down) to fourth, you have to throw it into the end zone then.

"I think we handled it the right way. I do believe that you just rerack the play, get it in bounds and call timeout, and that's why we held it and didn't work out the way we wanted it to."

There was nothing to like there. It was yet another late-game failure by a Chicago team that had a chance to win. Not acknowledging that was almost as egregious as it happening in the first place.

In the game prior against the Minnesota Vikings, the Bears came up empty with uninspired playcalling in extra time despite converting an onside kick and connecting on a game-tying field goal that forced the game into overtime. They even won the overtime coin toss.

And before that, against the dreaded Green Bay Packers, a blocked field goal spoiled a potential game-winning drive for Williams after he got his team well within Cairo Santos’ kicking range. 

I haven’t even mentioned the "Fail Mary" against the Washington Commanders. That was perhaps the other most glaring mismanagement by the now-former Bears coach. 

In that game, Williams helped give the Bears their first lead with 25 seconds left on the clock. The Commanders needed a miracle to win. They got it when rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary pass was tipped into the hands of wide receiver Noah Brown by Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. The thing is, Stevenson was supposed to be covering Brown but instead wasn’t paying attention when the play began and came in late on a rogue assignment. 

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but the Bears had a timeout. Eberflus could have — and should have — taken it, even if he didn’t see Stevenson taunting the crowd on the far end of the field.

All of this left the Bears no choice. Chicago had found new ways to lose games seemingly every week. Eberflus was a liability.

Chicago will now turn to Thomas Brown as its interim head coach. Just 17 days ago, Brown was the team’s passing game coordinator. He was elevated to offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron was fired two weeks ago. After Brown’s third game as the interim offensive coordinator, he will now be elevated to interim head coach.

It’s hard to think Brown is getting a fair shake given how much dysfunction has taken place in Chicago already. 

While the Bears have never fired a head coach midseason, Eberflus’ firing will perpetuate a cycle that has been happening in Chicago for nearly a decade. The Bears, yet again, fired a head coach less than a year after taking a quarterback in the first round. Williams will now have to navigate a staff change after his rookie season, just like Justin Fields and Mitch Trubisky did before him.

Things like that are the mark of a larger organizational problem. Letting Eberflus go in front of the media and talk about being confident in his job security just hours before firing him is the mark of a larger organizational problem. Perpetuating this cycle that has superseded regimes is the mark of a larger problem. 

General manager Ryan Poles said when he was hired in 2022 that he was brought to Chicago to break cycles. As promising as this roster has looked, Poles and the organization haven’t delivered.

Though the operation is the same right now, the Bears will have one last chance to right the ship with whoever they bring in. Their next head coaching hire will perhaps be the most important in the team’s century-long history.

As a silver lining, it will probably be the best opening of this cycle league-wide. It is as of now, with the New Orleans Saints and the New York Jets also having head coach openings. Chicago is by far the best option with the roster and quarterback they currently have. 

The Bears must not rest on that alone to woo a top coaching candidate, however. They cannot fall into the trap of thinking a coach will come because of the prestige of the franchise or even the roster of players in place. 

The organization must continue to do things it has never done before in order to yield different results. It must pull together all the money and resources it can muster. 

Then — less quantifiably, but most importantly — it has to get the right guy for the job.

Carmen Vitali is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow her at @CarmieV.

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