Matt Eberflus (L) and Thomas Brown (R) (Photo Credit Chicago Bears).
The Chicago Bears have indeed fired head coach Matt Eberflus. This is the first time in franchise history that the Bears have fired a head coach in the season.
Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has been tabbed to replace Eberflus, who was in his third year with the team.
“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,” said Bears general manager Ryan Poles. “I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”
Added Warren, “I support Ryan and the decision that was made this morning. We understand how imperative the head-coaching role is for building and maintaining a championship-caliber team, leading our players and our organization,” said Warren. “Our fans have stood by us and persevered through every challenge, and they deserve better results. Our organizational and operational structure is strong, focused, aligned and energized for the future.”
Eberflus’s firing follows yet another deflating last-second Bears loss to the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
What may have ultimately sealed the 54-year-old coach’s fate was how Chicago lost that game. In the waning seconds, with the Bears driving down the field with a chance to try for a game-tying field goal or a go-ahead touchdown, Eberflus failed to call a timeout to preserve time on the clock.
Instead, quarterback Caleb Williams ran a low-percentage pass play that fell incomplete as the seconds ticked off the clock.
That loss continued an unfortunate trend for the Bears, crushing losses at the end of games.
Five weeks before the Lions game, the Bears fell to the Washington Commanders on a last-second Hail Mary.
They also lost to their rival Packers after Green Bay blocked a game-winning field goal attempt by kicker Cairo Santos on Nov. 17. Four days before Thanksgiving, they suffered another defeat in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings.
With Brown’s elevation to interim head coach, he becomes the Bears’ second Black head coach in history after Lovie Smith. The 38-year-old coach was the team’s pass game coordinator three weeks ago. Brown became the Bears offensive coordinator when the team moved on from Shane Waldron. With his latest promotion, he takes over a team on a six-game losing streak.
An article on Eberflus’s firing on the team’s website explained why the team went with Brown to replace Eberflus.
Brown has led the Bears offense for each of the last three weeks, a unit that has totaled a league-high 22 third-down conversions and has scored 46 second-half points, third most in the NFL, since Week 11.