Chicago Bears fire head coach after Thanksgiving Day loss that included late chance to tie game

The Chicago Bears on Friday announced the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus, after poor, last-minute decisions led to Thanksgiving Days loss to the Detroit Lions. 

The 4-8 Bears were trailing the Lions (11-1) by three points, 20-23, with about 30 seconds remaining in the game. The Bears were close enough to kick a field goal to tie the game and had timeout to use. But the Bears instead of using the timeout to setup a potentially game-tying kick, they used their final play of the game for a downfield pass that ended up incomplete. 

Eberflus has defended his call not to use the final timeout, but admitted that the final play did not go as they hoped.

Earlier this season, the Bears lost in the final seconds of game with the Washington Commanders when the team's quarterback heaved a long, desperation pass that was caught for a touchdown. 

The Chicago Bears said that the team's ownership and leadership met on Friday morning to discuss the game, and have notified Eberflus of his termination. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will take his place in the interim, per Fox News.

"This morning, after meeting with [chairman] George [H. McCaskey] and [President and CEO] Kevin [Warren], we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head-coaching position," Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in a statement.

"I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization," he continued. "We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward."

Eberflus is now the first head coach in Bears history to be fired midseason, and the first head coach to be axed this year.

He was in his third coaching season with Chicago at the time of his firing, and finished with a record of 14 wins and 32 losses. The Chicago Bears will now play the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 8. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.