The Chicago Bears made the most predictable coaching change this season, firing head coach Matt Eberflus following a disastrous final minute of Thursday’s loss to the Detroit Lions, in all likelihood becoming the most coveted destination this upcoming hiring cycle.
Eberflus failed to elevate former first-round quarterback Justin Fields, and this season oversaw No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams’ wildly inconsistent start to his career before being dismissed amid the Bears’ six-game losing streak.
Rock bottom for Eberflus came when Chicago failed to stop the clock inside the final :48, despite having a timeout remaining, as a frenetic comeback bid came up short without the Bears even having the chance to attempt a Cairo Santos game-tying field goal to send the game to overtime.
Eberflus’ firing is the first time in Chicago Bears history that the franchise has fired a coach in the middle of the season, however, his performance this season and given everything that is at stake in terms of Williams’ development the move seemed unavoidable.
For the Packers, Eberflus’ firing underscores the delta between Green Bay’s stability and upward trajectory around a young core and the Bears’ recent inability to elevate their rebuild.
Here’s a sampling of the reaction to Friday’s news:
Matt Eberflus' decision making has been so bad he had to be trying to get fired on purpose. I hope he enjoys his early vacation, thanks for your services to the rest of the NFC North 🫡
— Collin (@OurLiquidDuck) November 29, 2024
Matt Eberflus may have been fired, but at least he has one timeout left pic.twitter.com/Z0HZFy5eN9
— Chase Senior (@Chase_Senior) November 29, 2024
They should have done this after the 2023 season.
Bears are incompetent from top-down and the fans deserve better.
Drafted Caleb Williams 1 overall to give him lame duck Shane Waldron and Matt Eberflus who got fired mid season. And now he’s gotta learn a new system for 2025.
— John loves Theology (@iamschuyler97) November 29, 2024
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