National Football League
Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after brutal Lions loss
National Football League

Bears fire head coach Matt Eberflus after brutal Lions loss

Updated Nov. 29, 2024 3:26 p.m. ET

The Chicago Bears fans who chanted "Fire ‘Flus!" in early November finally got their wish. The team has parted ways with head coach Matt Eberflus. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown has been named interim head coach.

This move comes in the wake of the team's 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Day.

Chicago went 14-32 in two-and-a-half seasons under Eberflus. 

The Bears have dropped six games since starting the season with a promising 4-2 record with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. However, they have unraveled since losing to Washington on a last-second Hail Mary in Week 8. They followed that up with a 29-9 loss to Arizona before an even more anemic effort against New England.

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After that game, Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and replaced him with then-passing game coordinator Brown. The offense, and Williams in particular, looked much better from that point, but the Bears continued to come up short. They fell to Green Bay when Cairo Santos' potential game-winning field goal was blocked, then lost to Minnesota in overtime. 

Williams, the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, had his best performance of the season in the loss to the Vikings (340 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions). He also set the franchise rookie record for passing yards in a season. 

Still, it wasn't enough for Chicago to put an end to its skid. Now, the Bears will try to salvage the rest of the season without their head coach. 

Lions beat Bears 23-20; should Matt Eberflus be fired?

Prior to joining the Bears in 2022, Eberflus spent time in Indianapolis as the defensive coordinator from 2018-2021. The Colts defense ranked 30th in the NFL before Eberflus was hired and finished in the top half of the league in all four seasons he was there. 

During Eberflus' time in Chicago, the defense was up and down. It finished 29th in the NFL in yards allowed in his first season, then 12th last season, and currently ranks 19th this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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