When Bears quarterback Caleb Williams took a sack on second and 20 with 32 seconds to play during Thursday’s game against the Lions, it seemed that they’d run a play from the Detroit 41, try to shorten the distance on what would have been a 59-yard field goal, call timeout if the play finished with a tackle in bounds, and attempt to score three points that would force overtime.
In hindsight, the best move would have been to call timeout immediately after the sack.
The Bears would have had 32 seconds on the clock. They would have had time to dial up a play aimed at gaining 10 yards or so. They would have had their field-goal team ready to hurry into position and for the kick.
As one coach with no connection to the two teams explained it, 20 seconds is the absolute minimum needed to run a play and get the field-goal team in position to kick before time runs out. With 32 seconds, the Bears easily could have done it.
Coach Matt Eberflus could have called the timeout. He should have, frankly. As Rodney Harrison said during Friday’s #PFTPM discussing the Thanksgiving games, coaching is about preparing for every situation. That’s what Bill Belichick did with the Patriots. Everyone knows what to do, when to do it, and why, in every possible game scenario.
If the Bears had been prepared for the situation that played out, Eberflus would have known to call timeout. Williams would have known to do it, when Eberflus didn’t.
Regardless of who called the timeout, it would have happened if the Bears had been ready for the situation. And the Bears might have forced overtime. They ultimately might have won the game.
And the race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC would have instantly gotten a lot more interesting.
