For the first time in their 100-year-plus history, the Chicago Bears have decided to cut ties with a head coach before the completion of the regular season. Following yet another puzzling late-game decision, Matt Eberflus is being dismissed, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Thomas Brown, who had recently been named offensive coordinator in place of Shane Waldron, will serve as interim HC. Eberflus' seat was burning up before Thanksgiving, but by not bailing out his disorganized squad with a timeout in the final minute of Thursday's 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions, he sealed his fate. His insistence to defend his decision-making enraged fans, to the point that even the city of Chicago had enough.

The Bears (4-8) should be competing for an NFC Wild Card slot but are instead tumbling down the standings because of a historic six-game losing streak. While on-field execution in clutch situations has been a glaring issue, the players alone cannot be held accountable. Eberflus made multiple gambles that directly and negatively impacted games, and now he has run out of credit.

The Bears remain a punchline

With little else to preoccupy the public from a football standpoint, Chicago's latest catastrophe garnered the franchise a hurricane of condemnation and bad publicity. The players' postgame reactions, which expressed surprise at Eberflus' choice to hang onto the timeout after rookie quarterback Caleb Williams was sacked with around 30 seconds left on the clock, only amplified the disarray.

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The organization ignited the fan base after ending the 2023-24 campaign strong and trading for accomplished wide receiver Keenan Allen in the offseason, and believe it or not, the team has looked fairly formidable during games. The results are the same, though. A fourth consecutive year without a playoff berth is not acceptable for a franchise that has been pushing hard to foster significant growth.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles could eventually find himself in danger as well, but he will likely be given at least another year to identify a head coach who can turn his grand vision into a reality on the gridiron. Matt Eberflus is officially not going to be that guy going forward. Hopefully, he is able to quickly put this tumultuous tenure in the rear-view mirror and gain some much-needed solace.