Lions 23, Bears 20: Matt Eberflus and Caleb Williams went in opposite directions

Three years after doing that dance with Matt Nagy, the Bears are back in the same place: their season is unsalvageable and coach Matt Eberflus is on the verge of retirement.

Already on the brink of collapse, Eberflus mishandled the clock in the final minute of the Bears’ 23-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday, scuttling their comeback. He was a punchline as the clock ran out and he still had a timeout in his pocket.

Here’s a look at the key points of the recent disaster:

Eberflus’ Flub
Incredibly, at the end of the game, the Bears only had one play in the final 32 seconds. Caleb Williams and the rest of the offense should have moved quicker, but Eberflus was in charge and didn’t realize he needed to call a timeout. With his head coach doing nothing, Williams improvised as best he could.

HITS crumbles
The supposed strengths of Eberflus are no longer evident. The defense allowed the Lions to score on their first four possessions and averaged 5.9 yards per play in the game. Defensive tackle Byron Cowart, defensive end Darrell Taylor and wide receiver Keenan Allen all committed costly, avoidable penalties.

Williams is still thriving
It’s notable that Williams continues to grow despite Eberflus, Shane Waldron and other obstacles. For the third game in a row, he played very well against a strong defense. And the most important news from Sunday: His knee is fine after a “funky” hit from linebacker Jack Campbell.