3 reasons the Bears should have fired Matt Eberflus ages ago

The Matt Eberflus era is finally over, and not a moment too soon. The Chicago Bears had never fired a head coach in the middle of the season before, but the atmosphere had become so toxic around the team after yet another embarrassing blown game, this time against the Lions on national TV on Thursday, that there was really nothing else they could do.

Thursday was Thanksgiving, a holiday in which people are supposed to reflect and be grateful for all the blessings in their life, but for Chicago Bears fans, gratitude has been an impossible emotion to feel lately. Now, they can finally turn the page on what has been an era marked by one catastrophe after another.

Bears fans are a loyal bunch. The past six weeks in particular have pushed them to their breaking point, and it's all because of Eberflus' ineptitude as a coach. First was the botched Hail Mary against the Commanders in which the Bears allowed Jayden Daniels to get an easy completion to get in range for a last-second heave. Eberflus could have used a timeout to prepare his defense for the final play but opted not to, and Washington receiver Noah Brown caught the game-winning score in large part because Tyrique Stevenson, the player that was supposed to stay with him, was completely unprepared.

That would have been the low point for almost any team, but the Bears have only dug themselves a deeper hole in recent weeks. They followed the heartbreak in Washington with two thumpings at the hands of an average Cardinals team and the hapless Patriots. As dispiriting as those losses were, the last three weeks have been even worse, as the Bears had victory within their grasp against each of their division rivals, and each time let it slip away.

3. Matt Eberflus lost games the Bears should have won

There's a lot that goes into losing a football game, but each loss to the Packers, Vikings and Lions was a direct result of Eberflus' poor decision-making.

He settled for a long field goal against Green Bay when the Bears could have had time to get closer to make it an easier kick. That kick was blocked.

He played a soft defense against the Vikings, which allowed Sam Darnold to continue moving the ball despite facing second-and-17, first-and 15, and first-and 20 on the final drive in overtime, undoing an 11-point comeback in the final minute that tied the game.

Against the Lions, just as he did against the Commanders, Eberflus finished with a timeout in his pocket, and instead of being able to have a chance at a field goal to tie, the clock ran out on the Bears at the end of the game.

Losing three straight division games is nothing new to Eberflus, nor is losing against winning teams. Eberflus ends his Bears career with an abhorrent 2-14 record against the NFC North and a 1-14 record against teams with winning records. Division games make up more than a third of the schedule each year, and the Lions, Vikings and Packers are all playoff-quality teams. The Bears clearly have a roster to compete with all of them, but under Eberflus, they kept finding ways to lose anyway.

2. Eberflus was wasting Caleb Williams

Eberflus' ineptitude has overshadowed what could have been a memorable Bears season. Do you know that most people around the NFL believe that Jayden Daniels or Bo Nix has been the best rookie quarterback? Commanders and Broncos fans deserve to be excited with what they've seen from their rookies, but Caleb Williams should be the talk of the league for what he's done in his first year. Because the Bears now have a record of 4-8, his accomplishments have been grossly overlooked, all because Eberflus' incompetence has made the Bears a laughingstock.

There is zero doubt that the Bears made the right choice in drafting Caleb. The entire Bears offense did less than nothing against the Lions in the first half, but in the second half Caleb made play after play with his arm and his legs. His three touchdowns were the most any quarterback has had against the Lions this season, and for the sixth game in a row, he didn't throw an interception.

A stat like that would make one believe that Caleb, like so many Bears quarterbacks before him, has just been a game manager, but nothing could be further from the truth. The rookie is making big-time throws against top-tier defenses, but he doesn't have the wins to show for it. In fact, per ESPN Next Gen Stats, the Bears are the first team since at least 1933 to go on a six-game losing streak while never committing multiple turnovers in a game.

Caleb has had the ball in his hands with one last chance to tie or win the game in each of the past three weeks. Each time, he led the Bears down the field and put the team in position to win. The Bears are now 0-3 in those games, and 5-19 in one-score games under Eberflus. That's the worst winning percentage in NFL history.

1. Eberflus refused to learn from his mistakes

Bears fans have been infuriated not only by all the losing, but by Eberflus' refusal to take accountability for bad decisions. His consistent track record of doubling down on demonstrably poor choices (such as his 2-9 record on challenges) prove that he doesn't learn from his mistakes, a fact that has been obvious as the Bears have continued to taste defeat in the most confounding ways possible.

Make no mistake, the last six weeks weren't the only reason Eberflus had to go. He's demonstrated over the past three seasons that he's unfit to lead this team, but the last month-and-a-half has just made it impossible for Bears management to ignore that fact any longer.

Bears fans have been calling for the team to fire Eberflus dating back to last season, but the final straw may have been how his players turned on him after the Lions game. Keenan Allen said, "I feel like we did enough as players to win the game." Kyler Gordon gave a damning, "No comment," when asked why the Bears continue to fail at the ends of games. DJ Moore said that he had no idea why the Bears didn't call a timeout at the end of the game.

When the fans and the players turn on you, there's no coming back.

Thomas Brown will now continue has rapid ascension within the organization, as he has been named the team's interim head coach just over two weeks after he succeeded Shane Waldron as offensive coordinator. Brown is extremely well-regarded around the league, and will now get a chance to prove that he deserves to be the team's head coach going forward.

There will be lots of time to think about who should be the Bears next head coach, but for now, Bears fans are thankful, even if it is a day late.