Matt Eberflus defends late-game clock blunder: 'I think we handled it the right way'

Time expired on the Chicago Bears in its final drive during Thanksgiving Day’s 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions despite having a timeout left.

It didn’t take long for reporters to ask head coach Matt Eberflus about the final outcome.

“I think we handled it the right way,” he said.

Matt Eberflus explains why he didn't use the final timeout at the end of the game. pic.twitter.com/HlWuFt9uQe

— Dave (@dave_bfr) November 28, 2024

At the podium, Eberflus expanded on his game plan and the final decision which ultimately cost his team the game.

“We’re there at 2nd & 20, take the sack right there,” Eberflus explained. “We’re at 36 seconds right there. Our hope was, because it was third [down] going into fourth, that we would rack that play at 18 seconds, throw it in bound, get into the field goal range, and then call the time out. That’s where it was.

“That was our decision-making process on that. Again, we were outside the field goal range, so we needed to get a few more yards in there, s close as we can get and then we were going to call timeout. That’s why we held that last time out at the end of the game.”

The Bears had over 30 seconds to work with, but by the time his offense had been set there was less than 12 seconds left on the game clock and less than 10 seconds left by the time quarterback Caleb Williams caught the snap.

This forced Chicago into a final play where Williams heaved a 41-yard prayer that ultimately went unanswered.

The loss drops the Bears to 4-8 on the season. Their losing streak is now up to six games as the last time Chicago left a game victorious was on Oct. 13 when they beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. It’s also the third game in a row where Chicago has lost by three points or less having lost to the Packers by a point and each of the last two matchups against both the Vikings and Lions by a field goal.