Of the many questions asked of the Chicago Bears after they fired head coach Matt Eberflus following their Week 13 loss to the Detroit Lions, one stood out above the rest: Why did they allow him to speak to the media on Friday morning?

On the day after yet another jaw-dropping loss — this time with one of the more humiliating finishes in franchise history playing out in front of an extra-large and astonished holiday audience — the Chicago Bears leaned into their most straightforward path toward resolution.

His firing came one day after a 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field during which the coach failed to call a timeout as the clock expired and the Bears had the ball.