DJ Moore Addresses Matt Eberflus’ Decision On Field Goal Setup

After another frustrating loss and heartbreaking finish, the Bears are once again facing tough questions. Head coach Matt Eberflus has drawn criticism for his decision-making in the final moments of the game. After the Packers called a timeout with about 30 seconds left, the Bears still had one timeout remaining and could have run the ball at least twice to gain more yards for their kicker. Instead, Eberflus chose a conservative approach, which even surprised several Packers players. They reportedly noticed something on film that made them believe a blocked field goal was a realistic possibility. But if the Bears opted to get more yards it likely would have been a lot harder to block the kick.

As we know, the game didn’t end in the Bears’ favor. On Monday morning, Eberflus defended his decision once again during an interview on ESPN 1000. Meanwhile, star wide receiver DJ Moore shared his perspective during his weekly appearance on 670 The Score. He acknowledged why Eberflus felt comfortable letting Cairo Santos attempt a 46-yard field goal instead of running another play to get closer.

“He was money from there in warmups.. you be damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

Cairo Santos made zero excuses.

Cairo Santos did not offer any excuses about the decision not to gain additional yards at the end of the game. When asked whether attempting a closer field goal, such as from 42 or 43 yards, would have affected his approach or execution compared to the 46-yarder, Santos provided his response:

“No. That was a comfortable range there. Left hash in that left or right wind, everything felt great and it looked like the line that the ball was going was right down the middle. I hit it solid on my foot. Operation was good, snap, hold. They just made a good play with the penetration there.”

Kudos to Santos for taking the high road. At the end of the day, details often determine the difference between winning and losing. A staggering stat highlighted by Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic highlights this and serves as a damning indictment of the Matt Eberflus era.

Since 1940, the Bears have gone 101-24-2 when they commit zero turnovers on offense and generate at least one takeaway on defense, according to Stat Head. Alarmingly, three of those 24 losses have occurred in the last three weeks of this season.

At what point is enough truly enough? It’s clear that Eberflus won’t return as head coach next season, so why delay the inevitable? The offense showed promise without Shane Waldron, with Thomas Brown injecting much-needed life into the unit. Perhaps making a midseason coaching change could have a similar revitalizing effect for the Bears.