THE Chicago Bear lost to the Green Bay Packers in disappointing fashion on Sunday, where a blocked game-winning field goal attempt ended a promising comeback for Caleb Williams and co.
Head coach Matt Eberflus is receiving justified criticism for how he handled the process that led to the blocked kick. Williams and the offense drove down the field in a two-minute drill to put them within field goal range.
Once they were within 50 yards, Cairo Santos’ typical range, they let double-digit seconds burn down the clock without attempting an extra play to try to make the kick easier, and they had possible downtime to do so. Any defense knows that blocking a kick gets easier from farther away because they have to hit it from a lower angle to achieve distance. The Packers were ready for this with Santos and they executed.
The Los Angeles Chargers were in the same situation on Sunday Night Football. Instead of letting time run out, they continued playing to try to get closer. They found themselves in the end zone with a game-winning touchdown run by JK Dobbins instead. They didn’t even need to put it in the hands of their kicker.
Who is their coach? Former Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who has been linked to them as a head coach for a long time. Chicago took the opportunity to hire him in favor of keeping Eberflus last offseason.
To make matters worse, the Chargers demonstrated exactly how to defend a Hail Mary attempt, which included Harbaugh calling a timeout before the final play to make sure everyone was in place. Eberflus refused to do so in a heartbreaking Hail Mary loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 8.
It only took Harbaugh a few hours to show the world how to proceed in these situations. It’s heartbreaking to know that he could have been the guy from Chicago but they said no thanks. Based on history, it’s fair to assume that ownership has more to do with this situation than any football executive.
The Chargers have changed the narrative surrounding their team for several decades – going 7-3 – and Harbaugh is a big reason why. Coaching matters and their guy proved it this Sunday. It couldn’t have come at a more appropriate day.
This article was originally published on Bears Wire: Jim Harbaugh made the Bears even worse on Sunday Night Football
