Bears' Matt Eberflus Explains Why Caleb Williams Was Still Playing Late in Blowout Loss

Williams appeared to get injured on the final Bears play of the game down by 20 points.

Williams limped off the field after the Bears got blasted by the Cardinals / NFL on CB

The Chicago Bears got dismantled by the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon and they may have suffered a more significant loss in the final moments of the blowout.

Despite being down by 20 points in the last minute and change, the Bears kept rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in the game. Not only that, but the coaching staff was calling passing plays. Murphy's Law was then enacted and Williams appeared to get hurt on the final offensive play of the game for Chicago. As he limped off the field, CBS's Charles Davis laid into the Bears' coaching staff for needlessly endangering their young quarterback.

One of the first questions directed to Matt Eberflus in his postgame presser was why he kept Williams in there. His explanation? To get him reps.

"Getting work," Eberflus said. "Getting work and getting timing, getting timing in the two-minute operation. That's what we're doing."

Matt Eberflus asked was it Caleb Williams' knee, or ankle that he tweeked? Also why was he in still in the game at the end? "Just getting work and timing" pic.twitter.com/rvl5UPY3bP

— ✶ Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤 ▶️ ✶ (@_MarcusD3_) November 4, 2024

There is a time and a place for Williams to get two-minute drill practice in. This was not such a time nor a place. The Bears were completely out of reach and there's no reason to have Williams dropping back against opponents going full speed. There is nothing to gain and everything to lose in that scenario— yet Eberflus went ahead and kept him in anyway.

Not a banner day for the Chicago Bears. They are now 4–4 and host the New England Patriots next Sunday in Week 10.

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