The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears 20-19 on Sunday by blocking a 46-yard field goal as time expired, but should the block have counted? The Bears say no.
Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus says they should’ve had a chance to re-do the kick, citing that a penalty was committed by Green Bay on the final play of the game.
Eberflus said he will turn in the blocked field goal to the league office, because he believes the Packers “were on our long snapper.” No flag was called on the field.
Here is a look at the play Eberflus has found issue with:
Bears long snapper Patrick Scales appears to be knocked down at the line of scrimmage by Packers’ Karl Brooks and T.J. Slaton. It is illegal to make contact with a long snapper when their head is down, as they are considered defenseless. Players are also not permitted to use an offensive player as leverage while blocking.
If a penalty was called, the Bears would’ve moved up and kicker Cairo Santos would’ve had another chance to win the game for his team. In 10 games, Santos is 14 of 17 in field goals made and 16 of 17 in extra points made. He is 2 of 4 in field goals between 40 and 49 yards.
Chicago’s final drive went 7 plays for 42 yards to set up the field goal attempt.
With the loss, the Bears now sit at 4-6 and are on a four-game losing streak. The win put the Packers at 7-3 and in third place in a very competitive NFC North.
