This Stat Should Guarantee Matt Eberflus Firing
The Chicago Bears lost on the final play of the game, 20-19, to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. This is the second time this season that a game came down to the last play, and the team didn't execute it correctly.
Three weeks ago, the Bears defense allowed a Hail Mary on the final play of the game to the Washington Commanders. This week, it was the special teams unit that came up short, failing to block a defender, which resulted in a blocked field goal
Although these are the freshest wounds, losing one-score game seems to be a trend with head coach Matt Eberflus.
According to Paul Hembo of ESPN's Get Up, the Bears are 5-17 in one-score games under Eberflus.
From @PaulHembo on @GetUp: The Bears are 5-17 in one-score games under Matt Eberflus since 2022, the worst record in the NFL.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) November 18, 2024
Eberflus's record in one-score games is pretty damning. Although some of those losses came in 2022 when the Bears were the worst team in the NFL, there has been plenty since 2022.
Last season, the Bears lost six one-score games. In three of those games, the Bears had over a 90% win probability in the fourth quarter. Fans and analysts pointed most of the blame for those losses on then-quarterback Justin Fields and the offense's lack of production in key moments.
Despite a change in quarterback, though, the Bears remain in the same position this season. Along with the two games mentioned above, the Bears have lost two other one-score games this season.
One of those losses came to the Houston Texans by a score of 19-13. While the score was close, the Bears had no real shot at winning that game.
The other loss came in a 21-16 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts. Unlike the Texans game, the Bears had a realistic shot at beating the Colts even though they didn't play great. Unfortunately, the Bears' defense was unable to stop the Colts from getting a first down on their final drive.
No matter how you look at it, the Bears not being able to win one-score games is an indictment on Eberflus. Any good head coach would be situationally smart and have their team ready to win in close games.
The fact that Eberflus doesn't know what the "S" in his "HITS principle" stands for just adds to the reasons why he should be fired. For those unfamiliar, it stands for hustle, intensity, the ball, and being situationally smart.
Perhaps Eberflus needs to go back to the drawing board and do some more studying.
More Chicago Bears News:
feed