Bears coach Matt Eberflus defended his decision to not run one final play at the end of Chicago’s Week 11 loss to the Green Bay Packers to get kicker Cairo Santos closer to the south end zone at Soldier Field.
CHICAGO — Bears coach Matt Eberflus defended his decision to not run one final play at the end of Chicago’s Week 11 loss to the Green Bay Packers to get kicker Cairo Santos closer to the south end zone at Soldier Field.
With Chicago trailing by one point, Santos attempted a 46-yard winning field goal as time expired, which was blocked by Packers defensive tackle Karl Brooks. Chicago’s 20-19 loss marked eleven straight to Green Bay, a streak that dates back to the 2018 season.
„We felt good in terms of where the kick line was“, Eberflus said. „The wind was not a factor today, and Cairo has made a bunch of those kicks inside of that range. We feel confident in Cairo and confident in our operation there.“
The Bears‘ final drive began with 2:59 remaining from their own 30-yard line. Quarterback Caleb Williams got Chicago into Green Bay territory by connecting with fellow rookie Rome Odunze for a 16-yard reception on third-and-19 and finding Odunze again to convert on fourth-and-3 to move past midfield.
Chicago picked up an additional first down and then ran the ball with Roschon Johnson, who picked up 2 yards on a play that began with 35 seconds remaining from the Packers‘ 30-yard line. The Bears let the clock run down to three seconds before using their final timeout and sending Santos and the kicking team onto the field. Green Bay had no timeouts remaining.
Santos attempted a line-drive kick that was blocked. The Packers sideline erupted in celebration as Green Bay (7-3, 1-2) secured its first division win of the season.
This is the second time in franchise history that the Packers have blocked a potential winning or tying field goal on the final play of the game. The other instance came back on Nov. 26, 1939, against the Cleveland Rams.
„They were loading the box there“, Eberflus said. „You could say you could do that for sure, maybe get a couple more yards, but you’re also going to risk fumbling and different things there.
