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    Chicago doomed by clock management errors

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    The Chicago Bears once again found a confusing way to lose a one-possession game in their 23-20 Thanksgiving Day loss to the Detroit Lions.

    The Bears were driving in the final minute of the game and appeared to be in position to make a shot at a field goal.

    Instead, Chicago completely mismanaged the clock on the last two regulation plays, denying Cairo Santos the opportunity to attempt the kick.

    It all started on the penultimate play of the game, when Williams was sacked for a six-yard loss, setting up a third-and-26. The Bears had only one timeout and opted not to use it when Williams hit the ground with 32 seconds left.

    NFL PLAYOFF PHOTO: Lions could close out their berth after the Thanksgiving win

    The Bears’ offense didn’t seem to understand that they needed to operate quickly after the sack. About 10 seconds ticked off the clock before Williams began frantically miming to his players to move quickly and line up for a passing play.

    Chicago was finally able to line up for the third-and-26 pass. However, the ball was not snapped until there were only seven seconds left in regulation. Williams made a crossfield shot to Rome Odunze, which fell harmlessly to the ground as time expired.

    Below you can see the full series:

    Bears coach Matt Eberflus talked about managing the team’s endgame clock during his postgame press conference. He described the team’s decision to bail out last time out, even after Williams was fired.

    “Our hope was, because it was third down when we were fourth down, that we would replay that play after 18 seconds. Throw it in bounds, get it in field goal range and call timeout,” explained Eberflus out. “That was our progress in decision-making on that.”

    “We were out of field goal range, so we had to get a few more yards, as close as we could, and then we’re going to call a timeout,” he added. “That’s why we had that last timeout.”

    Eberflus’ explanation made sense, as using the timeout would have put the Bears in an awkward situation while limiting their ability to use the middle of the field.

    That said, Chicago’s lack of urgency after the decision not to call a timeout almost certainly cost them at least a chance at a field goal. And according to Eberflus, the offense should have been aware of the team’s plans.

    “We were all on the same page there,” Eberflus said. “We just have to do a little better.”

    Eberflus was also asked if he could have abandoned his plan and called a timeout around the 18-second mark to keep Chicago’s chances alive. In short, the third-year coach admitted that he could have done that, but it was a short period of time in which he had to make the decision.

    “If it gets under 12 (seconds), you have to hold it,” Eberflus said, noting that a second action would not be possible if a player was tackled within bounds.

    Regardless, the Bears’ latest blunder sealed their sixth straight loss and set the Lions on a seven-game losing streak heading into Thanksgiving. Despite this, Eberflus felt Chicago had a strong performance.

    “We were there at that moment,” Eberflus said. “We just have to deal with it better.”

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