In a postgame press conference, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus addressed the team’s game-ending clock management blunder that ultimately led to their 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
Eberflus explained that the original plan was to snap the ball with 18 seconds left on the clock, take a timeout, and then attempt a field goal. However, things did not go according to plan, and the team ended up wasting valuable time with only 34 seconds remaining.
Speaking to reporters, Eberflus acknowledged that the issue stemmed from a lack of efficient teamwork. He emphasized the need for the players to work together more effectively in critical situations like this one.
This unfortunate blunder cost the Bears a chance to either tie or win the game in the final minute. Eberflus expressed his disappointment in the team’s performance and emphasized the importance of learning from this mistake to prevent similar situations from occurring in the future.
“I think we handled it the right way,” the Bears coach told reporters (2:30). “I do believe that we just re-rack the play, get it in bounds and call a timeout. That’s why we called it, it just didn’t work out the way we wanted it to.”
Eberflus said the accountability starts with him and he has to be better.
The Bears were facing third-and-26 at the Lions’ 41-yard line with 34 seconds left following a Williams sack. They did have a timeout remaining but were hoping to get some additional yards to help kicker Cairo Santos’ chances at hitting the game-tying field goal.
Instead, though, Chicago lost a sixth consecutive game and fell to 4-8 on the season.
Despite the disappointing outcome, Eberflus remains optimistic about the team’s potential as he assured reporters that they would address the clock management issue with the players and coaching staff to ensure it does not happen again.
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