Matt Eberflus will be on an NFL sideline for a Thanksgiving game again in 2025. This time, it won’t be as the head coach of the Chicago Bears, but as the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He’ll be looking to redeem himself from last year’s complete disaster that cost him his job by getting his defense ready to stop one of the best quarterbacks in the world, Patrick Mahomes.
Looking Back at Matt Eberflus’ Clock Management Disaster
Eberflus had the Bears chasing three points late in the fourth quarter against the 10-1 Lions in 2024. It was a crucial 2nd-and-20 for the Bears at the Detroit 35-yard line. They were in borderline field goal range with 36 seconds remaining. Caleb Williams scanned the field, but was brought down for a sack and a loss of six yards. They were likely out of field goal range at this point and would need to get a couple of yards on third down.
Instead of calling a timeout, Eberflus let Williams run a play. It was a mind-boggling decision for many fans to wrap their heads around that turned out to be a game-losing choice. Williams and the Bears’ offense took a long time to get set and snap the football. Williams took a deep shot to Rome Odunze, but it fell incomplete and should have stopped the clock. The problem is that there was no more time on the clock, and the Bears lost.
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The Bears dropped to 4-8, while the Lions moved to 11-1 with their tenth straight victory. This was Chicago’s sixth straight loss, following a 4-2 start that had fans excited about the turnaround under Williams. This clock management disaster marked the end of Eberflus’ tenure as the Bears’ head coach. Eberflus finished with a record of 14-32 with Chicago.
Eberflus didn’t have to wait too long for another job as he headed to Dallas to be their defensive coordinator. It turns out Bears fans’ excitement was one year premature as the Bears are balling out at 8-3 in 2025 without Eberflus at the helm.
The Cowboys’ defense has been one of the worst units in the NFL for most of the season. The Cowboys rank 21st in PFSN’s Defense Impact score with a grade of 64.2. After getting DeMarvion Overshown back from injury and adding Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson at the deadline, the unit looks much improved. They dug in big time against the Eagles after a poor start to help Dallas make a massive comeback against their rival.
Now, this unit has a tall task in a short week. Keeping Mahomes in check is already tough, but with a defense that has struggled at times and on short rest, it’s almost impossible. Eberflus has to have his defense ready to play, as the Cowboys’ season is essentially over with a loss. If they win, the Cowboys keep their playoff chances alive; Eberflus’ Thanksgiving disaster in 2024 will be redeemed, and the Chiefs’ reign could be over.