It’s rare for the sports-media world to universally agree on anything. So props to former Bears coach Matt Eberflus for bringing everyone together.
His inaction in the final half-minute of the Bears’ loss to the Lions on Thanksgiving Day drew criticism from announcers, analysts, talk-show hosts and former coaches and players. Eberflus’ failure to use his last timeout to stop the clock with a chance to at least tie the score cost him his job.
The incomparable finish will go down in Bears history, and it led to some fantastic broadcasting. But of the three calls surveyed, one didn’t rate with the others. Here’s a breakdown of the final play as heard on CBS, Westwood One and the Bears Radio Network:
CBS
Jim Nantz and Tony Romo saw what was coming.
But before then, Nantz noticed that the Lions’ Za’Darius Smith was unblocked before sacking Caleb Williams with 32 seconds left. Romo said the play was supposed to be a quarterback draw because of the Lions’ “light box.”
Then Nantz said, “Clock is running with 15 seconds and it’s third-and-26. They have one timeout left.”
There was urgency in Nantz’s voice, but Romo was still hung up on the sack. He interrupted Nantz to explain the “light box,” even circling the vacated area behind the Lions’ defensive line with a telestrator. The analysis was superfluous at that point, and Nantz interrupted Romo before Williams took the snap with six seconds left.
Nantz: “You better hurry.”
Romo: “Oh, no.”
Nantz: “Oh, this is …”
Romo: “Jim, no.”
Nantz: “… disaster in the making here. You’re gonna have to do something with it. Comes down to this play … incomplete, and the game is over. Completely botched at the end by the Bears.”
Romo: “I can’t believe they didn’t take a timeout. I just assumed they would’ve taken it.”
Romo’s hang up with the “light box” notwithstanding, Nantz told viewers everything they needed to know. Granted, viewers have the benefit of video, but Nantz and Romo captured the moment. Grade: B
Westwood One
Former White Sox TV voice Jason Benetti was on the national radio call with former NFL quarterback Ryan Leaf. Without the benefit of video, listeners had to hang on every word Benetti said. He didn’t disappoint.
Benetti: “Time is ticking away, down to 25 seconds. The Bears are out of field-goal range. They have one timeout. It’s third-and-forever. Williams at the line tapping his head. We’re down to 15 seconds here. Caleb Williams out of the shotgun. Third-and-long. Time is moving. Gotta go, under 10 seconds now. Oh, my goodness.
“Back to Williams, he’s ready to throw, he’ll throw down the middle of the field, incomplete at the horn. The game is over! The Bears won’t even get to fourth down! They leave Detroit with a timeout in their pocket. And the Lions, for the first time since ’16, have won on Thanksgiving; 23-20 the final score. How in the world can that happen?”
Leaf: “It’s the Bears.”
Two quibbles: Williams’ throw wasn’t exactly down the middle of the field. Wide receiver Rome Odunze was between the hash marks and sideline (not that listeners would’ve known). Also, there’s no horn in football, but we’ll grant Benetti literal license. He nailed the call. Grade: A
Bears Radio Network
As usual, Jeff Joniak brought the fire and passion. With 46 seconds left, he said, “Is your heart racing or what? Nail-nibbler time in Detroit.”
But after Williams was sacked, neither Joniak nor Tom Thayer knew what had happened.
Joniak: “Four-man rush, Caleb Wiliams goes down. I don’t know what happened, didn’t look right. Did not look right. Whatever was going on, it didn’t look right and down he goes.”
Thayer: “Looked [like] a little dysfunction in the snap count that last play.”
On to the next play.
Joniak: “Fifteen seconds, third-and-26. Caleb’s gotta make a play here with 11 seconds to go in the game. Awaiting the snap. Gotta hurry it up. Seven, six, takes the snap. Caleb Williams from the pocket, zings it down the field, twisting, turning, inside the 5 as time expires, for Rome Odunze. That’s it. No flags. And the ballgame … is over.
“Everybody standing around in stunned disbelief on both sides. Nobody’s celebrating, but the game is over. Something happened down the stretch here, it did not make sense. … Any explanation?”
Thayer: “No, I just, the last couple plays, I don’t think there was count certainty at the line of scrimmage. I think Caleb went to the right spot when he tried to get the ball to Rome Odunze on that last play. A couple of super unfortunate penalties near the end of the game there. Just another haunting conclusion to a big game.”
Joniak’s call had urgency as he counted down the seconds. What it didn’t have was key information, most notably that the Bears had a timeout left. Neither he nor Thayer mentioned that.
In fact, it didn’t come up until sideline reporter Jason McKie interviewed Odunze shortly after the game. McKie asked him to break down the last drive, noting that there appeared to be confusion and that Odunze had “one timeout left in your pocket.”
“There was no confusion,” Odunze said. “I think it was just we’re getting our plays right, getting our scheme right for what we wanted to do, and it just didn’t work how we wanted to.”
Neither did the radio call. Grade: D