The Bears dealt with their six-game losing streak in a way they’ve never done so before.
The Bears dealt with their six-game losing streak in a way they’ve never done so before — by firing their head coach in the middle of the season.
Matt Ebrerflus was fired Friday, one day after a 23-20 loss to the Lions at Ford Field in which the coach failed to call a timeout as the clock expired and his team had the ball. He had a 14-32 record in three years with the Bears, the third-worst winning percentage in franchise history behind only Abe Gibron and John Fox.
Eberflus was fired just hours after conducting a press conference in which he said Halas Hall was business as usual as he prepared for the 49ers. Players don’t report back to Halas Hall until Monday after their scheduled weekend off.
Eberflus lost 14 consecutive games between 2022 and 2023, but it was the Bears’ disappointing performance this season that doomed the head coach. After adding veterans Keenan Allen, D’Andre Swift, Gerald Everett, Kevin Byard and others with hopes of competing for a playoff spot, the Bears fell out of contention with a midseason slump.
The Bears entered the bye with a 4-2 record after scoring 95 points during a three-game win streak against the bottom-feeding Rams, Panthers and Jaguars. They returned to game action and lost in unbelievable fashion, giving up a 52-yard Hail Mary as time expired to the Commanders. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson had his back to the play when it began because he was too busy waving at the crowd. He eventually sprinted toward the play and leaped for the ball when he should have been boxing out Noah Brown, who caught the touchdown.
