GREEN BAY, Wis. (670 The Score) -- Facing fourth-and-goal from the Packers’ 1-yard line in a key moment in the fourth quarter Sunday night, the Bears were stopped short after a curious play call.
With 8:13 remaining in the game and the Bears trailing 24-10, quarterback Justin Fields was ruled to have been stopped inches shy of the goal line after taking a shotgun snap and being met by Packers defenders on a run up the middle. The play design featured right guard Lucas Patrick pulling to his left, where he bumped into tight end Cole Kmet.
The ball was extremely close to crossing the plane as Fields drove forward. That led to a challenge by Bears coach Matt Eberflus, but the ruling was upheld.
“We felt we had a good look at it, so we made the challenge,” Eberflus said after the Bears' 27-10 loss. “They thought otherwise, and that’s the way it goes sometimes. But we thought it was the best play we had at that point right there for us to score. If we score there, it’s a different ballgame. It’s a one-score game at that point and we still got a chance right there to win.
“A lot of times what you do is you outnumber the box. So, you’re using your quarterback as a runner, you got an additional blocker and you like your numbers in the box there. That’s why we called it. It was the best play we had right there at the time.”
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Eberflus added that he needed to review the film of the game to fully comprehend why the Bears didn’t find the opening they hoped for with that play call.
Beyond the Bears utilizing the shotgun formation, the play call also raised eyebrows because they didn’t give the ball to running back David Montgomery, who had 15 carries for 122 yards. For his part, Montgomery supported the Bears’ play call on a night he averaged 8.1 yards per carry.
“I just wanted to score,” Montgomery said. “I don’t care how we got in. I just wanted to score. And I feel like we scored.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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