Is Bears’ Eberflus The NFL’s Worst Head Coach ATS?

Is Bears’ Eberflus The NFL’s Worst Head Coach ATS?
Fact Checked by Thomas Leary

It’s been a steep learning curve in the Windy City for Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, with a 3-14 straight-up and 6-11 against the spread record during his first year with the team. Numbers that didn't exactly make him popular across Illinois sports betting.

That 35.3% cover percentage figure ranks dead last among the NFL’s 29 head coaches with at least a season in such a role, behind Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints (40.6%).  

To get a sense of where Eberflus ranks among his head coaching peers against the spread, IllinoisBet.com utilized data from TeamRankings.com to gather every active NFL head coach’s record ATS, dating back to 2003 when data was made available. We did not include records from interim stints. 

And while despite his poor first year with the team, there's reason to think things will get better this season with D.J. Moore catching passes from an improved Justin Fields. Keep tabs on the Bears playoff chances here. 

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TeamCoachYears ActiveATS RecordCover Pct.
Giants Brian Daboll 114-573.7%
Lions Dan Campbell 223-1167.7%
Bengals Zac Taylor 448-28-260%
Packers Matt LaFleur 442-2959.2%
Patriots Bill Belichick 28204-148-958%
Cowboys Mike McCarthy 16155-119-656.4%
Chargers Brandon Staley 219-15-155.9%
Bills Sean McDermott 655-44-755.6%
Dolphins Mike McDaniel 110-855.6%
Broncos Sean Payton 15140-115-654.8%
49ers Kyle Shanahan 657-49-153.8%
Seahawks Pete Carroll 17118-104-753.2%
  Ravens John Harbaugh 15132-119--1152.6%
Rams Sean McVay 654-49-552.4%
Commanders Ron Rivera 12102-93-752.3%
Steelers Mike Tomlin 16138-127-1052.1
Chiefs Andy Reid 24180-167-651.8%
Titans Mike Vrabel 544-41-251.8%
Panthers Frank Reich 538-36-351.3%
Jaguars Doug Pederson 652-52-150%
Eagles Nick Sirianni 218-19-148.7%
Raiders Josh McDaniels 321-2446.7%
Falcons Arthur Smith 215-18-145.5%
Browns Kevin Stefanski 323-2944.2%
Bucs Todd Bowles 531-44-742.6%
Vikings Kevin O’Connell 17-10-141.2%
Jets Robert Saleh 214-2041.2%
Saints Dennis Allen 421-31-140.6%
Bears Matt Eberflus 16-1135.3%

Eberflus The NFL’s Worst Head Coach ATS (So Far)

Given the Bears lack of on-field success over the last two seasons, it’s of little surprise that anyone tasked with leading the franchise has struggled to cover the spread during their respective tenures with the team. 

That’s certainly true for Eberflus, who oversaw the Bears’ worst year-end point differential (-137) since the -139 total the 2000 club put up.  

All told, Eberflus’ 35.3% cover percentage ranked well behind Allen as the NFL’s worst, with the coach being the only one of the 29 surveyed to post a percentage below 40%.  

Eberflus finished more than two times lower than NFL No. 1 ATS Brian Daboll of the New York Giants, who covered the spread in 73.7% of the team’s games a year ago.  

He also finished well behind the rest of the NFC North, as Dan Campbell of the Detroit Lions was No. 2 in cover percentage (67.7%), while Green Bay Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur was fourth (at 59.2%) and Kevin O’Connell of the Minnesota Vikings was tied for 25th, at 41.2%. 

Stick with IllinoisBet.com ahead of the NFL season, home to the Bears Super Bowl Odds page.

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Author

Christopher Boan

Christopher Boan is a lead writer at IllinoisBet.com specializing in covering state issues. He covered sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, including stops at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly and the Green Valley News.

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