NEWSLETTER
In a game that has had a few puzzling calls and decisions by coaches on both sides and officials all over the field, Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus deciding to pass on an end-of-half field goal to throw a Hail Mary in a 7-7 game was befuddling.
But for what it’s worth, Coach Eberflus had an explanation to ESPN Bears Radio sideline reporter Jason McKee:
That sound you heard was my jaw hitting the ground. I am floored. Firstly, by the decision to throw a desperate prayer of a heave ahead of the halftime buzzer. But also by Eberflus saying that the Bears were eight yards out of Cairo Santos’ range. EIGHT!? You’re telling me that, on that side of the field, you can trust Santos from only 47 yards? That’s WILD.
A quick numbers check: Santos is 6-for-6 on 50+ yarders this year and hit 4 of 5 tries in 2022. That means Santos is 10-for-11 on 50+ yard field goals since the start of the 2022 season. That is a 90.9 percent success rate. Maybe that number would’ve taken a hit had Santos tried and missed. But I feel as if that is a risk worth taking. Here’s hoping that doesn’t come back to haunt the Bears.
UPDATE: After the game, Eberflus told reporters (via NBC Sports Chicago): “That was just too far of a kick for us to make that attempt there” and said the wind going in that direction was a factor in making that decision.
So, spoiler alert about the last sentence of our original post — it came back to haunt the Bears in what turned out to be a three-point loss to the Cleveland Browns.
