Rival DC Among Top Replacements for Bears’ Matt Eberflus Amid Vikings Backlash

Getty Head coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.

The Chicago Bears lost another game in heartbreaking fashion this weekend, and yet another questionable decision by Matt Eberflus was a talking point in the aftermath.

Chicago fell at home to a divisional opponent in a one-score contest for the second consecutive week, losing to the Minnesota Vikings by three points in overtime just seven days after dropping a one-point outing to the Green Bay Packers.

Eberflus has been on the hot seat for several weeks and has already fired two offensive coordinators during this calendar year, which has led to widespread speculation that he won’t keep his job as head coach in 2025 as well as open discussion about who the favorites are to take it from him.

Among the names mentioned by Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron in an X post on November 22 was Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who also served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins for three seasons between 2019-22.

Zimmerman mentioned Flores among a group of seven candidates he “could see interviewed and Bears would be interested.”

Flores is among the most creative defensive minds in the NFL and has helped Minnesota sprint out to a 9-2 record this season, despite a change at quarterback and more than $60 million in dead money on the salary cap sheet.

Brian Flores Has Better NFL Image Than Matt Eberflus

GettyDefensive coordinator Brian Flores of the Minnesota Vikings.

The prowess of the Vikings defense was on display for much of Sunday’s game, as Minnesota led Chicago by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

However, the Bears clawed their way back into the contest with under a minute to play before successfully retrieving an onside kick, moving the ball into field goal range and sending it to overtime.

Minnesota eventually claimed victory after Chicago opened the extra period with possession of the football. The Vikings forced the Bears to punt and Chicago ultimately lost 30-27, falling to 4-7 on the year.

The decision by Eberflus to go for a two-point conversion down 24-16 midway through the last period of play drew ire from across social media on par with the anger fans displayed when Chicago’s defense surrendered a game-losing Hail Mary to the Washington Commanders earlier this season.

The Sports Illustrated Instagram account highlighted a handful of the criticisms leveled against the Bears head coach.

Some of the same heat came down after the Bears settled for a longer field goal than necessary against the Packers last week, which contributed to that contest ending in a blocked kick by Green Bay.

Matt Eberflus Has Lost Faith of Bears Fans

GettyHead coach Matt Eberflus of the Chicago Bears.

The Bears failed on the two-point try against Minnesota, after which the Vikings marched down for a field goal to extend the lead to 11 points.

Chicago eventually scored another touchdown and was successful on its second two-point attempt, cutting the game to a three-point margin.  That allowed the ensuring onside kick recovery to result in a game-tying field goal.

In all likelihood, the contest would have ended in the same way even if Eberflus had called for the Bears to kick extra points after both fourth-quarter TDs. His decision involved a controversial strategy, in which an analytics formula advises teams to go for two after cutting a lead to eight points late in a game.

However, the backlash Eberflus faced in the aftermath is indicative of a growing disbelief in his abilities to make the right decisions in big moments, which is a trend in the NFL that tends to snowball and lead to a coach’s demise whether it’s fully deserved or not.