Matt Eberflus

Matt Eberflus, Bears to ask for NFL review of blocked field goal

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Former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt weighed in on the uncertain future of Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, noting that recent losses have raised doubts about his tenure

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus plans to ask the NFL to review Karl Brooks’ blocked field goal that gave the Green Bay Packers a dramatic win Sunday.

During his Monday press conference, Eberflus said the team believes Brooks made direct contact with long-snapper Scott Daly on the play, which should have triggered a penalty. Eberflus and the Bears plan to ask the league to review the play.

“We’ll turn the play in,” he said. “They were on our long-snapper, so we’ll turn the play in and see what the league said. We saw them making direct contact with him right away.”

Under NFL rules, a center who is attempting a snap during a field goal attempt is considered to be in a “defenseless posture,” and any “unnecessary contact” on a defenseless player is considered to be a penalty of 15 yards and an automatic first down.

Eberflus conceded that the Bears needed to be “firmer” on their field goal protection, and said the team needed to execute the play more effectively in the future.

Cairo Santos’ 46-yard field goal would have snapped a 10-game losing streak for the Bears against the Packers, but instead Green Bay triumphed again after Brooks’ block, leaving the Bears with a four-game losing streak this season and Eberflus with a 2-11 record against the NFC North during his tenure.

He’ll have a chance to improve on that mark Sunday when the Bears host the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.

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