The Detroit Lions have been one of the best teams in football this season, as Dan Campbell’s unit is 11-1 and atop the NFC North after 12 games. Detroit has won 10 straight games after a 1-1 start and is the favorite to capture the NFC’s No. 1 seed.
The Lions escaped with a close victory against the Chicago Bears on Thursday in Week 13, but Detroit’s 23-20 is not the main storyline of the Thanksgiving contest. Recently fired Bears head coach Matt Eberflus completely missed a chance to tie the game and force overtime, as Eberflus failed to call a timeout in the final seconds of the fourth quarter and wasted an opportunity to score a field goal, as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams threw an incompletion to end the play.
“I can’t believe they didn’t take a time out!”
Lions win in CRAZY finish against Bears 😮 pic.twitter.com/iLqZLMKpDh
– NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 28, 2024
It’s been a frustrating season for Chicago, as the team entered the 2024 campaign with a lot of buzz but is 4-8 on the year and fired Eberflus on Friday. The former Toledo linebacker coached the Bears for three seasons, going 14-32 with just three road wins and two division wins. Chicago has lost its last six games after starting 4-2 and proving incapable of winning a game by one score.
Although Eberflus was an inept head coach for the Bears, the Ohio native thrived as a defensive coordinator in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts. Eberflus served as the team’s defensive coordinator for four seasons (2018-2021) and established himself as a top head coaching candidate during the 2022 head coaching cycle after leading the Colts have three top 10 defenses.
The Lions employ arguably the best defensive coordinator in the NFL, Aaron Glenn, but the young defensive mastermind will likely land a head coaching job this offseason. If Detroit loses Glenn this offseason, Adam Wells of Bleacher Report thinks the Lions could be a landing spot for Eberflus as defensive coordinator.
It is highly likely that the Detroit Lions will have to replace both of their coordinators after this season. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been one of the most sought-after head coaching candidates in each of the last two years, but he has decided to stay with the Lions.
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s rise to the top head coaching job took longer than Johnson’s, but it’s become clear over the past year that players think very highly of him .
Replacing Glenn with Eberflus would be a notable change in Detroit’s defensive scheme. Glenn’s favorite coverage is man coverage, as he wants teams to be on third-and-long to let the pass rush get to work.
Eberflus struggled with the Bears and failed to build a winning culture in Chicago, but the longtime defensive coach would be an adequate replacement for Glenn if the Texas native lands a head coaching job after the 2024 season. Eberflus has had success as a defensive coordinator in the past and will be one of the best assistant coaches on the market this offseason.
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