Chicago Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after recent loss

Chicago Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after recent loss

The Chicago Bears have fired head coach Matt Eberflus, the team announced Friday.

The decision to make the move comes less than 24 hours after the Bears suffered an embarrassing 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day. The Bears had never made a midseason head coaching change in their 105-year history, but the magnitude of the loss on national television prompted the decision to go in a “different direction.”

Thomas Brown, who was recently named Chicago’s interim offensive coordinator after Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron earlier this month, will assume Chicago’s interim head coaching duties as the team prepares for a game against the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 8.

“After meeting with (Chairman George H. McCaskey) and (President and CEO Kevin Warren), we informed Matt this morning of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head coaching position.” Ryan Poles, General Bears manager said in a statement released Friday afternoon. “I would like to thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and commitment to our organization. We thank him for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family all the best for the future.”

The loss to the Lions extended the Bears’ losing streak to six and was arguably the Bears’ worst in years. The Bears, behind rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, had recovered from a 23-7 deficit to get within 23-20 and at least had a chance to score a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.

The Bears had the ball at the Lions’ 41 with 32 seconds left. Eberflus could have used his last timeout or asked Williams to crank the football to stop the clock. Eberflus did neither, leaving Williams to throw a deep pass to wide receiver Rome Odunze that failed incomplete as time expired.

The Bears (4-8) started the season with a 4-2 record, but lost to the Washington Commanders – when quarterback Jayden Daniels connected with wide receiver Noah Brown on a “Hail Mary” pass for a touchdown on the final day of the game – the decline began in Week 8, from which the Bears have not recovered.

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