Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy lead Bears to loss with questionable play calls on both sides of the ball
Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy strike again. The Chicago Bears have lost another close game. A very winnable game was thrown down the drain by consistently poor play-calling in the second half.
The Bears should have won. That has become a common statement this season. At least 4 or 5 times this season, the Chicago Bears should have won.
The Bears had a double-digit lead going into the fourth quarter. Once again, the lead was squandered and the Bears lost in gut-wrenching fashion. Another solid defensive game was wasted. The Bears are now 5-9 on the season.
Exhibit A: Eberflus’ confusing 3rd and long call
Cleveland was facing a 3rd and 15, the Bears defense looked prime to get a clutch stop to seal the win, Matt Eberflus had other ideas. In a 3rd and long scenario, Eberflus, who calls plays on defense, called a heavy blitz.
A blitz in that scenario is fine, blitzes on 3rd and long are common. The catch is, Eberflus put Justin Jones, a defensive lineman in coverage. For reference, Justin Jones is 6′ 3” and weighs 309 pounds. The play called for Jones to drop into shallow coverage and cover anything across the middle. The Browns got the first down and more after Flacco hit David Njoku over the middle.
The play was massive for the Browns. The drive extended by that poor play call eventually led to the go-ahead Cleveland field goal.
Eberflus provided an explanation of sorts on the play call in a post-game press conference. The whole clip can be seen below:
Matt Eberflus on the 3rd & 15 defensive play call on the Browns game-winning drive.
Bears Postgame Live: https://t.co/CGwhbOy6W8 pic.twitter.com/8yZP4CrE64
— Marquee Bears (@BearsMarquee) December 17, 2023
He explains why he called that play, the blitz. He then explains that the ball was not forced out fast enough, something everyone could see. He doesn’t explain why he thought putting Jones into coverage was a good idea.
Eberflus Passes on points at the end of the 2nd quarter
Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy decided to pass on a field goal on Cleveland’s 37 yard line just before halftime. That choice cam back to haunt them as the Bears end up losing by 3 points. Was the field goal a chip shot? No, but you have to try and take points when you can.
If that field goal is kicked and its good, there is no need for a Hail Mary attempt at the end of the game. The Bears offense could have tried for a game winning field goal instead.
Once again Eberflus shows off his poor game management skills.
Finally some accountability
For the first time this season, Matt Eberflus has taken some accountability for his bad discissions. In a post-game media session with ESPN 1000, Eberflus admitted that dropping Justin Jones into coverage on 3rd and 15 was a bad call. ESPN 1000 asked Eberflus about the play call and he said, “I got to make a better call.”
Some accountability is nice, but that play cannot happen in that scenario.
The response to ESPN 1000 asking about the play is interesting. In the clip above he takes no accountability, but then he does later on.
Eberflus is the undisputed champion of confusing and contradictory press conferences.
Justin Jones comments on him being put into pass coverage
Bears beat reporter Nicholas Moreano asked Justin Jones about the 3rd and long in a post-game press conference. Jones responded by saying he was doing what he was told.
“I’m just doing what the play call is. Maybe I could’ve seen him what he was doing. I probably could’ve got back a little more. I don’t know, probably play his low hip in that route. Maybe got a PBU. I could have got a little deeper in my drop, sat under it or something. It’s not what I practice.”
Jones was put in a position he is not normally asked to be in. Matt Eberflus set up a player to fail in a crucial moment. Defensive linemen don’t practice pass coverage.
Luke Getsy is equally responsible for this loss
Getsy produced a masterclass of blundering on Sunday. Getsy had the amazing idea of asking Cole Kmet to block Myles Garrett one-on-one. Calling for your tight end to block Garrett, who is arguably the best defensive lineman in the NFL one-on-one makes no sense.
On 1st and 10 with 3 minutes left and the game tied, Luke Getsy called a toss to the running back on Garrett’s side of the field. Cole Kmet was tasked with blocking Garrett by himself. Kmet proceeded to get steam rolled by Garrett and the play was blown up. The momentum was already shifting towards Cleveland and that play resulted in a 5 yard loss. The Bears ended up punting, taking 1:18 off the game clock.
The Bears bad news piles on
The Bears getting the number one overall pick is no longer a certainty. The Panthers won on Sunday and the Patriots lost. The Panthers now have the same amount of wins as the Patriots. The good news is the Panthers have one extra loss.
The Arizona Cardinals are on their way to being 3-11, should the result hold. The Cardinals would then match New England.
All three teams (Arizona, New England and Carolina) have similar strength on schedules. It is now extremely possible that Arizona and New England both surpass Carolina in losses.
The race to the first overall pick will be a close one. The Panthers look to be clear and away the worst of the three teams. But as we saw today, “any given Sunday” really does apply.
The Bears play the Cardinals next week on Christmas Eve. That game will have major draft implications for both teams.
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