Bears coach Matt Eberflus expressed no regrets about his decision to go for a first down on fourth-and-1 at the Broncos’ 18 instead of kicking a tying field goal with 2:57 left in the fourth quarter of a 31-28 loss to the Broncos on Sunday at Soldier Field.
He’d do it all over again.
“Based on that scenario that was there, yes,” Eberflus said.
After the Broncos stunned the Bears with Jonathan Cooper’s 35-yard touchdown return off a Justin Fields fumble that tied the game 28-28 with 6:55 left in the fourth quarter, the Bears responded by driving from their 25 to Broncos 18-yard line with 2:57 to go.
Instead of kicking a 36-yard field goal that would have given the Bears the lead — but also given Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson nearly three minutes to respond — Eberflus rolled the dice and went for the first down. But after trying to goad the Broncos into an offsides penalty, and calling a time out, Fields took a shotgun snap and handed off to running back Khalil Herbert, who was stopped for not gain by Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton.
The Broncos took over at their 19 and Wilson threw a 48-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims on first down to quickly put the Broncos in field goal range. Three plays later, Will Lutz kicked a 51-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 31-28 lead wioth 1:46 left.
The Bears’ hopes of responding with a tying or winning score ended when Fields’ pass intended for tight end Cole Kmet in the middle of the field on third-and-13 form the Bears 47 was intercepted by safety Kareem Jackson with 32 seconds left.
Eberflus said he was in contact with director of resarch and analysis Harry Freid during the fateful episode to make an informed decision.
“At that time, we said, ‘This right here … we’re going for it. We’re going to seal the game away,’” Eberflus said. “If we execute in that moment, we’re gonna get it and we’re going to have a chance to seal the game.
“[The Broncos] would certainly still have time, but the win probability goes up there. You score a touchdown in that moment, you’re taking time outs and time away form their offense — we feel good about that, too.
“We’re going to trust our offense. The way they have been playing all day, that’s an important factor. We did the freeze, tried to get them to jump offsides, selected our play and went for it.”
