The Chicago Bears had an opportunity to tie the Detroit Lions and force overtime on Thursday afternoon. This did not happen due to stunning clock management issues.
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The situation unfolded with the Bears driving late in the fourth quarter. A pass interference penalty by the Lions put the Bears in field goal range with less than one minute remaining, but the offense dropped to second and 20 on the 35-yard line.
Quarterback Caleb Williams dropped back to pass with 36 seconds remaining in the game. The Lions sacked him and set up third down. The Bears still had more than 30 seconds to run a play and stop the clock for a field goal attempt. After all, they had a timeout remaining.
Neither Williams nor head coach Matt Eberflus used this timeout. The Bears waited until only six seconds remained on the clock before snapping the ball. Williams threw a pass in the direction of Rome Odunze, but it fell incomplete as the clock expired.
A wild end to this one. #CHIvsDET pic.twitter.com/zwR7g1Efv9
— NFL (@NFL) November 28, 2024
The Bears had the opportunity to run multiple plays after the sack, but they managed only one before losing by three points to the rival Lions.
"Matt Eberflus shouldn't survive the walk to the locker room before being fired," one person posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after the loss.
This comment was one of many on social media after the Bears lost a close game. Thousands of people weighed in about the clock management issues, as well as Eberflus' future as head coach.
The embattled head coach did not have much support on social media. One account made a meme about him burning a turkey while some people jokingly predicted that he would have a job at the University of Alabama by Monday.
Jokes aside, the clock mismanagement took away a prime opportunity. The Bears, who entered the weekend at 4-7, were in position to tie the 10-1 Lions and force overtime. A conversion could have even given Williams the chance to throw a game-winning touchdown in regulation.
If the Bears had managed either outcome, they could have set up the biggest upset of the NFL season. Instead, they fell to 4-8 on the season while the Lions reached 11-1 for the first time in franchise history.
