Matt Eberflus fired as Bears head coach

Matt Eberflus will be forever known as The Man Who Ruined Thanksgiving for all of Chicago after presiding over one of the NFL's biggest end-of-game, clock-management debacles in recent memory in the Bears' 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

RELATED: Matt Eberflus' comments after Bears disaster are more than head-scratching

It also will be known as the last game of Eberflus' tenure. The team announced Friday that the 54-year-old Eberflus was fired as Bears head coach with a 14-32 record after three seasons in Chicago.

The Bears have promoted Thomas Brown to interim head coach. Brown was elevated to offensive coordinator after the firing of Shane Waldron on Nov. 12 after a 19-3 home loss to the New England Patriots.

"This morning, after meeting with (chairman) George [H. McCaskey] and (president and CEO) Kevin (Warren), we informed Matt of our decision to move in a different direction with the leadership of our football team and the head-coaching position," general manager Ryan Poles said in a team statement. "I thank Matt for his hard work, professionalism and dedication to our organization. We extend our gratitude for his commitment to the Chicago Bears and wish him and his family the best moving forward."

"I support Ryan and the decision that was made this morning. We understand how imperative the head-coaching role is for building and maintaining a championship-caliber team, leading our players and our organization," Warren said in the team statement. "Our fans have stood by us and persevered through every challenge, and they deserve better results. Our organizational and operational structure is strong, focused, aligned and energized for the future."

Against the Lions on Thursday, Eberflus committed the coaching malpractice of failing to call a timeout to organize his offense for at least a tying field-goal attempt. Instead, he allowed the absolute panic to persist as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams lofted a Hail Mary of a heave that fell incomplete as time expired.

On Friday, Eberflus conducted his regular day-after press conference, meeting with the media over Zoom. When asked by ESPN's Courtney Cronin about his job security, Eberflus responded as if it was status quo.

"I'm just gonna be working on, finishing up this game. Doing a good job evaluating that. ... And then I'll be working toward San Francisco," Eberflus told reporters. "Those are conversations we'll have, and again, I'm confident that I'll be working on to San Francisco and getting ready for that game."

Turns out, Brown will prepare the Bears for the 49ers. However, Eberflus' dismissal is as unorganized as the team's offense in the waning seconds against Detroit.

Eberflus revealed in Friday's nine-minute Q&A with reporters that he had his usual postgame meeting with Ryan Poles and Warren and was scheduled to meet with them again on Friday. How do you let your head coach take questions with the media before firing him?

Anyway, Bears fans can rejoice that the Matt Eberflus era is over. And it'll be a much-needed reset for Williams, the No. 1 overall pick who desperately needs a more capable, offensive-minded mentor to reach his potential. Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should be at the top of Chicago's wish list.

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