After another frustrating loss and heartbreaking finish, the Bears are once again facing tough questions. Head coach Matt Eberflus has drawn criticism for his decision-making in the final moments of the game. After the Packers called a timeout with about 30 seconds left, the Bears still had one timeout remaining and could have run the ball at least twice to gain more yards for their kicker. Instead, Eberflus chose a conservative approach, which even surprised several Packers players. They reportedly noticed something on film that made them believe a blocked field goal was a realistic possibility. But if the Bears opted to get more yards it likely would have been a lot harder to block the kick.
As we know, the game didn’t end in the Bears’ favor. On Monday morning, Eberflus defended his decision once again during an interview on ESPN 1000. Meanwhile, star wide receiver DJ Moore shared his perspective during his weekly appearance on 670 The Score. He acknowledged why Eberflus felt comfortable letting Cairo Santos attempt a 46-yard field goal instead of running another play to get closer.
“He was money from there in warmups.. you be damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
Cairo Santos made zero excuses.
Cairo Santos did not offer any excuses about the decision not to gain additional yards at the end of the game. When asked whether attempting a closer field goal, such as from 42 or 43 yards, would have affected his approach or execution compared to the 46-yarder, Santos provided his response:
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“No. That was a comfortable range there. Left hash in that left or right wind, everything felt great and it looked like the line that the ball was going was right down the middle. I hit it solid on my foot. Operation was good, snap, hold. They just made a good play with the penetration there.”
Kudos to Santos for taking the high road. At the end of the day, details often determine the difference between winning and losing. A staggering stat highlighted by Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic highlights this and serves as a damning indictment of the Matt Eberflus era.
Since 1940, the Bears have gone 101-24-2 when they commit zero turnovers on offense and generate at least one takeaway on defense, according to Stat Head. Alarmingly, three of those 24 losses have occurred in the last three weeks of this season.
At what point is enough truly enough? It’s clear that Eberflus won’t return as head coach next season, so why delay the inevitable? The offense showed promise without Shane Waldron, with Thomas Brown injecting much-needed life into the unit. Perhaps making a midseason coaching change could have a similar revitalizing effect for the Bears.
How angry are we ALL gona be when we find out Flus will be back next year??? I absolutely hate the idea.. hate it. But I will be honest in saying that if I was a betting man, I’d bet my money that Poles brings Flus back. I saw an interview with Adam Rank (huge Bears fan) and he said he spoke to numerous ppl close to Poles who stated that no matter how this season ends, Flus is absolutely expected to return to keep continuity with CW. I’m not saying this is any level of real info, but knowing… Read more »
This year, I pulled up the current draft position based on record for the first time. Sadly, we are here again this early in the season. Expectations were too high this year in retrospect. Hope won out again in my house. Rookie QB, bad OL, wort coach in division. What was I thinking!? I think we are 2 years away from being a legit Superbowl contender. Playoffs next year are realistic, with an improved OL, a more experienced QB, and a coach that can scheme. For me, it’s all about CW developing and draft position this year. If we beat… Read more »
To Dr. Melhus: Much better chance that the Bears finish 5-12 and then only if they beat Seattle. The family will hire a new coach most of us have never heard anything about but comes cheap and only with a 3 year deal. Last win against Green Bay was when Truman was Prez or at least it feels that way.
“It’s clear that Eberflus won’t return as head coach next season, so why delay the inevitable?” Not to nitpick, but I think it’s clear to most of us that Eberflus shouldn’t return as head coach next season. Unfortunately, shouldn’t and won’t are not the same thing. Some owners change HCs at the drop of a hat, others wait until the paint of the writing on the wall is completely dry. The McCaskey’s seem to be in that later camp. If Flus, with Brown at OC, go on a tear and beat the Vikings twice, the Packers in Lambeau, split with… Read more »
Flus is giving “defensive minded head coaches” a bad name. It doesn’t matter what side of the ball he comes from, the fact is, he is a coward and wets the bed every single time he’s faced with a defining moment. I’ve never seen any coach almost fear winning like him. That’s also why he’d ultimately fail as a DC too. He’s the kind of coach that will keep getting jobs because overall his stats will look good (as a DC), but it will just mask what his defenses do in crunch time. I’d walk him out of the building… Read more »