Sports Media

Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus

Matt Hanifan / NFL / November 29, 2024

Matt Eberflus Bears — The Chicago Bears are losers of six straight games. (Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images)

Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus

The Chicago Bears have fired head coach Matt Eberflus, NFL.com insider Ian Rapoport first reported Friday morning. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown is expected to be the interim, according to multiple reports.

Sources: #Bears coach Matt Eberflus has been fired after an ugly loss to #Lions, the team’s six in a row.

Chicago now has the NFL’s third head coach opening. pic.twitter.com/trEBe6dogn
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 29, 2024

Bears have fired Matt Eberflus, Thomas Brown interim head coach. Bears were infuriated after the game yesterday and didn’t hold back afterwards.
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 29, 2024

The Bears, currently last in the NFC North at 4-8, have lost six straight games, including three straight that have come down to the game’s final play. Though Thursday’s Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions came at the expense of a disastrous blunder from Eberflus. As the Bears were driving to potentially kick a game-tying field goal, Eberflus forgot to call a timeout, letting over 30 seconds burn off the clock before time expired.

BEARS DIDN'T CALL A TIMEOUT 😳

(via @NFL)
pic.twitter.com/OpmDcsr0Zs
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 28, 2024

When asked about the cataclysmic mistake, the third-year head coach still believed that the team handled the situation properly.

“I like what we did there,” Eberflus said. “Again, once it’s under seven [seconds], you’re going to call a timeout there–actually under 12. And then really you don’t have an option because it’s third to fourth, you have to throw it into the end zone then.

“To me, 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.”

“I like what we did… I think we handled it the right way” -Matt Eberflus on the end of the Bears game debacle today.
PLEASE HAVE THIS MAN CHECKED FOR CTE IMMEDIATELY!!! pic.twitter.com/wg2E3ZWhID
— Troy D. (@TroyDreyfus) November 29, 2024

That appeared to be the final nail in the coffin … and a lasting image of his tenure in The Windy City. The Bears were 5-19 in one-score games under Eberflus, including 2-6 in those games this year, the lowest winning percentage in one-score games since the start of 2022.

The Bears had the league’s worst record in one score games during Matt Eberflus’ tenure as HC by a wide margin

Lowest winning percentages in one score games since 2022:

Bears – .208 (5-19)
Jaguars – .333 (8-16)
Cardinals – .350 (7-13) https://t.co/XrJfOWjLMI pic.twitter.com/7zGRcU7UvH
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) November 29, 2024

In three seasons with the Bears, Eberflus was 14-32 in its entirety, never winning more than seven games in a single season. Despite drafting Caleb Williams No. 1 overall, the Bears were one of the least efficient offenses in the NFL with a middling defense that underperformed.

It appeared that Eberflus lost the locker room–and when that happens, you can’t get it back.

***

This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates!

Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch

Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube

Check out Vendetta Fantasy Contests

Click here for more NFL content