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.

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?

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.