Thanksgiving typically brings the NFL some of its largest regular-season TV audiences, but for the Chicago Bears, this year’s Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions was a disaster.
The Bears squandered a golden opportunity to win in dramatic fashion.
With 46 seconds left and the ball on the Lions’ 25-yard line, the Bears had a chance to tie or win the game.
However, they allowed nearly 30 seconds to tick off the clock without calling a timeout.
The result was a desperate throw from quarterback Caleb Williams that didn’t need to happen, which fell incomplete, sealing a loss for Chicago and handing Detroit its 11th victory of the season.
If head coach Matt Eberflus had a strategic reason for not calling a timeout, he didn’t share it with his players.
Both defensive back Kyler Gordon and wide receiver D.J. Moore were visibly confused after the game.
When asked why the Bears have struggled in close games, Gordon responded with, “Next question.
No comment,” before chuckling. Moore echoed the sentiment, stating, “I don’t know why we didn’t call a timeout.”
Williams, for his part, kept a diplomatic tone when asked if he thought calling a timeout was his decision to make.
“I’m living with the call and letting coaches make that decision,” he said, adding, “Maybe later in my career I’d call it, but for now, I’m just trying to lead my team to a win.”
The sequence left both players and fans perplexed, as the Bears’ late-game decision-making became a major talking point following their Thanksgiving defeat.