Bears’ Locker Room Drama Following Thanksgiving Loss Leads to Eberflus’s Dismissal

The Chicago Bears’ Thanksgiving Day defeat to the Detroit Lions proved to be the breaking point for head coach Matt Eberflus, who was dismissed the following day. Despite Eberflus’s confident remarks about his job security after the game, the combination of poor clock management and a tense locker room atmosphere sealed his fate.

Eberflus’s questionable game decisions, particularly in the final moments, drew sharp criticism from players. Down by three points with 33 seconds remaining, the Bears faced a crucial situation at the Lions’ 41-yard line. Quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked, pushing the team out of field goal range. Rather than calling their final timeout to regroup, Eberflus let the clock tick down to seven seconds before attempting a desperate deep pass that fell incomplete, ending the game.

The poor handling of this critical sequence led to palpable frustration among the players. According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and Adam Jahns, Eberflus addressed the team postgame, urging unity in the face of the loss. However, his message didn’t resonate, particularly with Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who reportedly voiced his anger over the coach’s decisions. Johnson wasn’t alone, as other players demanded answers about the mismanagement of the timeout.

One unnamed player told The Athletic, “We felt as players it’s been too many instances where we fought our way back into games only to lose because of bad time management and decision-making.”

The aftermath of the game was described as “ugly,” with the tension in the locker room highlighting the growing disconnect between Eberflus and the team. This dissatisfaction appeared to mirror the sentiment in the Bears’ front office, which decided to part ways with Eberflus—marking the first time in the franchise’s 104-year history that a head coach was fired mid-season.

Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown, who recently took over play-calling duties from Shane Waldron, has been named interim head coach. Brown will lead the 4–8 Bears as they prepare to face the 5–6 San Francisco 49ers in Week 14.