Bears coach Matt Eberflus defends Shane Waldron's goal-line call for Doug Kramer in loss to Washington

LANDOVER, Md. – It's amusing to hand the ball to a 300-pounder at the goal line when you're running away with a play. It's absurd to expect to take the lead in the fourth quarter.

The Bears made a lot of mistakes in their 18-15 loss to the Commanders on Sunday, ending with a botched Hail Mary defense that left no one to cover the wide receiver's point Noah Brown in the end zone for a touchdown with no time remaining. But their mistake on the goal line with six minutes left was perhaps their biggest faux pas.

With the Bears trailing 12-7, they line up in the I formation for third-and-goal at the Commanders' 1-yard line, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron called for a surprise handoff to the backup offensive lineman Doug Kramer. In the last few games he has filled in as a fullback, but only as the main blocker.

quarterback Caleb Williams Kramer held the ball in his chest, but he never got his hands on it and fumbled. Commander defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newtona former Illini like Kramer, took it back and killed the Bears' chance to take the lead.

“They're excited and I appreciate Shane for giving me the confidence to say it, but I made a mistake and dropped the ball on the 1-yard line,” Kramer said.

When asked what went wrong with the piece, he replied: “I fiddled with it.”

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he didn't think to intervene when he heard Waldron call the play and was actually confident because the team had been practicing it for a few weeks.

“We worked on the mechanics, the handoff to him, and we just have to do it better,” Eberflus said. “It’s just wedge blocking, and you’re on the 1-yard line and you’ve got a big guy getting the ball.”

More O-line problems

The Bears' already fragile offensive line took a few more hits on Sunday. Left tackle Braxton Jones and left guard Teven Jenkins Each left the game with a knee injury and a substitute Bill Murray injured his pectoral muscle. Eberflus did not provide any information about the severity of these injuries.

When Jones went down, the Bears sent in a third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie at left tackle. Amegadjie, who played high school ball at Hinsdale Central, had played just nine snaps on offense this season. He had two key blocks on him D'Andre Swift's 56-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

“I just had to get this one guy and there was nobody left, so I tried to make a play,” Amegadjie said. “It was probably the best feeling I've ever had on a football field in my life. It was great.”

The Bears finished the game with him at left tackle and Kramer at left guard. Veteran Guard Nate DavisTheir highest-paid lineman this season at $8.8 million, it was a solid miss for the second game in a row.

Big collapses

The Kramer kerfuffle was just one of the Bears' missed opportunities on offense. Williams converted a three-pointer and a two-pointer and pushed his way into Commander territory with a shot DJ Moore seven yards late in the third quarter as he tried to rally the Bears out of a 12-0 hole. But the win was canceled out by the right tackle Darnell Wright be reported for illegal education. Jenkins made a false start and soon the Bears were stumbling from their own 40.

They also missed a scoring opportunity late in the first half when they had a first down at the Commanders' 23-yard line, but ended up having to punt on 4th-and-27 after Williams' sack led to a 15-yard score. Had to suffer a loss of yardage.

Sweat on shins

Star defensive end Montez sweat had a sack and another tackle for loss against the team that traded him last season. He also had a shin injury and wasn't on the field to pressure the quarterback Jayden Daniels on the game-winning Hail Mary.

The Bears waived Jones on Friday.

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