If Bears coach Matt Eberflus had more credibility, he could write off losing to the Packers on a blocked field goal Sunday as one of the random things that happen in football.
But those things always happen to him.
The snafus continue piling up on Eberflus, and the latest was forfeiting the chance to advance at least a few extra yards before Cairo Santos tried a 46-yard field goal that would have delivered the biggest victory of his tenure. Packers defensive lineman Karl Brooks blocked it — with his middle finger, of course — to preserve a 20-19 victory and left Eberflus to explain yet another unraveling.
A more proven coach could shrug and move on. But with a 14-30 record and many collapses on his ledger, Eberflus has no margin to absorb another one. This, like the botched final sequence against the Commanders, is just another item in the case against him keeping his job.
That ending might repeat itself, too, because Eberflus took no lessons from it. Not only did he again defend his decision to drain 25 seconds from the clock without calling a play to get the Bears closer than the Packers’ 28-yard line, but he said flat-out he would — and will next time — do it all over again.
‘‘Where the conditions were and where we were in the game, yeah, I would do the same,’’ he said when he was asked Monday whether he would change course if the situation arises again.
He then rambled through a list of all the alternatives, including some that sounded pretty good. He mentioned the possibility that a running play might have broken loose for big yardage. But he was worried about fumbling. Or a false start. Or a holding call.
If so, why risk running anything from the 30-yard line on the play before, when Roschon Johnson ran for two yards? If goof-ups are such a constant concern, that’s an indictment on Eberflus’ coaching, as well.
All Eberflus can do now is file a complaint with the NFL about Brooks and fellow defensive lineman T.J. Slaton illegally hitting long snapper Scott Daly, which he said he will.
Regardless, the Bears were ahead 19-14 with six minutes left and had possession near midfield. It was the ninth time under Eberflus that they lost after leading in the fourth quarter. Four were double-digit leads.
That doesn’t happen by accident. It points to bad in-game management.
Eberflus played too conservatively against the Commanders by letting Jayden Daniels pass his way to midfield before the Hail Mary heave. He overcorrected the next week and pressured the Cardinals at the end of the first half, only for them to score on a 53-yard touchdown run.
He seemed to be in an aggressive mood for much of the game Sunday, then flinched at the worst possible moment.
This was a major concern last season and likely a red flag as general manager Ryan Poles weighed bringing Eberflus back. Nonetheless, Poles judged that he was getting the most out of the players.
‘‘That’s the big thing: Are we maximizing what we have?’’ Poles told the Sun-Times before the season. ‘‘To me, it was yes.’’
How about now?
There’s no way Poles thinks he built a losing roster. The Bears have flaws, but they came into the season with good-to-great starters at nearly every defensive position, enviable skill players and the No. 1 overall pick in quarterback Caleb Williams.
For such a crew to be sitting at 4-6 is an underachievement.
‘‘You don’t want to be 4-6,’’ Eberflus said when he was asked if he agreed with that.
Sometimes a 4-6 record reflects the roster. That’s not true here.
‘‘We are where we are,’’ Eberflus replied. ‘‘We’ve had some disappointing losses . . . but you can’t look back. You’ve got to look forward and you’ve got to look upward.’’
More attention to the past might have stopped the Bears from bringing him back. Instead, they’re looking upward from the bottom of the NFC North and forward to a new coach.