With the team in last place in the NFC North, the Bears fired coach Matt Eberflus.
The Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi
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After making a mistake during a timeout in front of a national audience on Thanksgiving, Matt Eberflus may be running out of time in Chicago.
In New York, Brian Daboll’s time is running out.
If the Dolphins are unable to win in the cold, Miami will not go anywhere, even though Mike McDaniel is not on the hot seat.
It wouldn’t be shocking if the Bears changed their coach because of how awful Eberflus’ error was on Thursday.
Caleb Williams, the rookie No. 1 choice, put the Bears in a position to potentially surprise Detroit in the second half, but his outstanding performance was overshadowed by the embattled third-year coach’s huge error.
The decision to let valuable seconds pass was then reaffirmed by Eberflus.
With 36 seconds left in the game, the Bears were down 23–20 against the Lions and faced a second-and-20 at the Detroit 35. Za Darius Smith fired Williams after he lost by six yards on a play that he claimed was meant to be a quarterback draw.
With 32 seconds remaining, Eberflus ought to have called Chicago’s last timeout to allow Williams and the offense a chance to regroup following the sack. Calling a short sideline pass to reduce the attempt for a tying field goal should have been the 41’s top priority on third-and-26. The special teams unit would have had plenty of time to prepare for a kick even if the play had been in the center of the field.
Rather, the clock continued to run. Two offensive linemen assisted Williams, and his teammates lined up for the following play without much haste, possibly anticipating a timeout. With six seconds remaining, the ball was finally snapped to Williams after the Bears had wasted twenty-six seconds. Before Cairo Santos could attempt a 59-yarder, time ran out and his long toss to Rome Odunze went incomplete.
It was mystifying that the clock was not stopped after the sack. Eberflus, however, defended it.
“We hoped that we would re-rack that play at 18 seconds, throw it inbounds, get it in field-goal range, and then call a timeout because it was third (down) going into fourth,” Eberflus said. And that’s where it was, and that’s how we decided to proceed.
Williams should also be held accountable for taking too long to call the snap after scouting the field at the line of scrimmage.
As Eberflus insisted, I like what we accomplished there. I believe we handled it correctly. I think we could finish the play by re-racking it. Simply said, it didn’t work.
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024: Caleb Williams, 18, of the Chicago Bears, converses with head coach Matt Eberflus during the second half of an NFL football game in Detroit. (Duane Burleson/AP Photo) APAP
Williams threw an incomplete pass on first down, stopping the clock with 43 seconds remaining, thus Eberflus had to spend one timeout when he should have had two to start that sequence.
Thomas Brown, the offensive coordinator, took too long to call a play, therefore he called that timeout to avoid a penalty for delay of game.
The Bears have lost six in a row and are at 4-8. After a season that started with great expectations, Chicago is doomed to miss the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. Eberflus is 14–32, and his dubious choices aren’t helping his case.
Daboll didn’t need to make any mistakes on Thursday in order to put his job in even greater danger. For weeks, his employment situation with the Giants has been uncertain. After a 27–20 loss to Dallas, the 2022 AP NFL Coach of the Year is 2–10.
Given that the Giants have dropped seven in a row, general manager Joe Schoen is probably going to be part of a significant change.
“We are not making any changes this season, and I do not anticipate making any changes in the offseason, either,” owner John Mara stated following a 2–5 start.
Since his vote of confidence, the club has yet to win a game.
“No,” Daboll answered, “I don’t like the results.” The outcomes are unpopular. But once more, I believe in the people. Simply put, you must improve.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the Dolphins 30–17 to wrap up the holiday tripleheader. According to Sportradar, Miami (5-7) has lost 12 games in a row when the kickoff temperature was below 40 degrees.
On Sunday, November 17, 2024, in Detroit, Caleb Williams, 18, of the Chicago Bears, throws during the first half of an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions. (Photo by Carlos Osorio/AP) APAP
In his first two seasons, McDaniel guided the Dolphins to the postseason, but both ended with road wild-card losses in Kansas City last season and Buffalo two years ago.
Miami should have two more opportunities to end that losing run in chilly weather as the season comes to a close with road games against Cleveland and the New York Jets.
This season, it might be too late to make a difference.
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