The Bears are headed toward a coaching change yet again, but it won’t be immediate. It appears Matt Eberflus will remain as head coach for the Dec. 8 game at the 49ers.
He did not directly answer whether he had certainty he would coach the 49ers game, but said Friday the operation has been “normal” coming out of the loss to the Lions.
“I’m going to be working on finishing up this game and… working to San Francisco,” he said.
While there’s an insurmountable case against the Bears bringing him back next season, his latest loss raised questions about whether the Bears will stick with him for the last five games of this season. Even though the Bears have a longstanding policy of not firing a coach during the season, Eberflus isn’t guaranteed that, a source said.
The Bears lost 23-20 to the Lions on Thanksgiving, and Eberflus squandered their shot at a comeback by botching the clock. The game ended on an incomplete pass by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in Lions territory as time expired, and Eberflus finished with a timeout still in hand.
The defeat was the Bears’ sixth in a row and dropped Eberflus to 14-32 overall in three seasons. It’s the third-worst coaching record in franchise history.
His mismanagement at the end of the Lions game was a continuation of poor in-game decisions that have cost the Bears.
Their losing streak began in Week 8 when he allowed the Commanders to move within range of a Hail Mary and didn’t call a timeout before the play to set his defense. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was talking to fans when the ball was snapped, which led to a complete unraveling of their coverage on that play and a stunning game-winner for the Commanders. Two weeks ago, Eberflus let about 30 seconds run off the clock at the end of the Packers game rather than try to get closer for the game-winning field goal, and Cairo Santos’ try from 46 yards was blocked.