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Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

Heated seats are a luxury in the Windy City during the holidays, but Matt Eberflus doesn’t need them because his lower half might as well burn all month long.

The flames are rising and the walls are closing in around the Chicago Bears head coach as the team continues to lose heartbreakingly close games and the public’s trust in Eberflus plummets to absolute zero.

Demand for his job has increased, and Windy City Gridiron’s Bill Zimmerman predicted Eberflus’ end could be just days away. Chicago is on the road for a Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions this week, and no matter how close the contest is, Zimmerman calls for the ax if the Bears don’t leave the holiday with a win.

“It could get ugly, but even if it doesn’t happen and the Bears lose a close game, should that change Ryan Poles’ mind? Should it change Kevin Warren’s? Why delay a decision any further when Halas Hall has an idea what they are doing then that decision has already been made?” Zimmerman wrote on Tuesday, November 26: “If the Bears lose on Thursday. Check what the difference is if the Bears lose on Thursday, be it by 3 or by 17. The trigger should be pulled on Friday.”

Matt Eberflus has lost the trust of Bears fans over time

GettyChicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

Eberflus’ decision to attempt a two-point conversion while trailing 24-16 against the Minnesota Vikings midway through the fourth quarter last weekend sparked outrage on social media.

This decision was not as egregious as some critics believe, but fan reaction to it suggests a growing distrust of Eberflus as a decision-maker.

The botched defensive series against the Washington Commanders, which ended with a Hail Mary touchdown on the final play of the game, is number one by one point in Eberflus’ worst moments of the season, but there are also less obvious weaknesses that keep cropping up, what already the case attracted the attention of the wiser observers.

Zimmerman noted that Eberflus was “scared” at the end of the first half against the Vikings when the Bears took an overly conservative approach instead of pushing for a touchdown drive with more than three minutes left on the clock and all three timeouts remaining outstanding.

“Eberflus played for the field goal. He played fearfully, he played conservatively, he played not to lose,” Zimmerman wrote. “Why is Matt Eberflus 5-18 in one-score games? These decisions here. He undid a great performance by Caleb Williams with his own decisions, even though Williams tried to make up for those conservative decisions.”

Thomas Brown could replace Matt Eberflus if the Bears make a change

GettyChicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

Regardless of the validity of Zimmerman’s criticisms and those circulating online, pulling Eberflus in the middle of the season isn’t necessarily the best decision.

Chicago isn’t out of the playoffs yet at 4-7, but playing on the road and on a short week against the Lions – arguably the best team in the NFL – doesn’t bode well for the Bears’ chances of winning their fifth division defeat. Game losing streak.

If the Bears lose on Thanksgiving, the season is essentially over and another team is probably currently hiring their head coach of the future. If Chicago can’t get that person right away, then shaking up the coaching ranks in the middle of a postseason campaign that’s all but over feels like doing something just for the sake of doing it.

However, Zimmerman named interim offensive coordinator Thomas Brown to replace Eberflus this season. Promoting Brown to head coach so quickly could be a recipe for disaster.

The argument for this, however, is that the front office could figure out if Brown is up to the task. If so, the Bears coach will move forward. If not, they can look elsewhere in the off-season.

Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and national news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible