On verge of breakthrough, Matt Eberflus’ Bears blow lead and lose
Bears coach Matt Eberflus reacts from the sideline Sunday.
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
DETROIT — On Day 663, progress.
In Game 28, a step forward.
And then, not.
The Bears blew a 12-point lead with 4:20 to play Sunday and left Ford Field 31-26 losers to the 8-2 Lions, who remain the class of the division. The Bears? They’ve still yet to win an NFC North game under general manager Ryan Poles, who once promised to “take the north and never give it back,” and coach Matt Eberflus.
With a chance to tie the game, or win it, Bears quarterback Justin Fields had the ball batted out of his hands with 29 seconds to play. It rolled out the back of the end zone for a safety.
This one stung. After Cairo Santos made a 39-yard field goal to put the Bears up 26-14, their defense let the Lions march quickly down the field to score a touchdown. Without using a timeout, the Lions needed just six plays to go 75 yards. Jameson Williams ran wide open into the end zone and caught a 32-yard pass from quarterback Jared Goff.
Trying to bleed the clock, the Bears ran twice before, on third down, taking a deep shot incomplete to Tyler Scott. The Lions got the ball back with 2:33 to play and were dominant, never seeing third down until a Jahmyr Gibbs run on third-and-2 from the Bears’ 7. On the next play, former Bears running back David Montgomery took a handoff one yard for a touchdown with 29 seconds to play. They went for two and found Sam LaPorta wide open to go up three.
The list of Eberflus’ accomplishments is short — he has the worst record of any Bears coach in franchise history. By losing Sunday, he missed out on his first-ever NFC North win — and the Bears’ first winning streak in his tenure. In a year-and-a-half, they’re still yet to beat a team with a winning record.
Before Sunday, the Lions were widely considered one of the NFL’s few Super Bowl contenders. Their 7-2 record ranked second in the NFC only to the Eagles.
The Bears have another six games to figure out Eberflus’ future. A season of upheaval —two assistants leaving as the result of human resources issues continues to cast doubt on Eberflus’ leadership — has allowed few opportunities for traction.
Sunday, traction slipped through their fingers.