Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus used the extra time after the Oct. 5 victory at Washington to perform an in-depth examination of his team. Sure, the Bears are 1-4 and just won their first game in more than 11 months. But Eberflus is convinced he sees an improving and unified group that has gotten stronger through adversity and can build on last week’s performance in a meaningful way.
The next opportunity comes Sunday in an NFC North home game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. As the Bears look to further their growth, here’s the inside slant on three notable storylines.
One step at a time
Luke Getsy is nothing if not levelheaded, an offensive coordinator with an aversion to unnecessary worry but also severely allergic to the kind of delirious excitement that tends to mushroom after short surges of success. So it was only fitting Thursday morning to take Getsy’s temperature on the state of his Bears offense, a unit that sputtered through September and then found a groove in productive performances against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders in Weeks 4 and 5.
What does it all mean?
How much from those two promising games can propel the Bears forward for the rest of the season?
At Halas Hall, what conclusions are being drawn about what the recent two-game uptick in production signifies?
“My interpretation is that these last two games have shown us what this can look like,” Getsy said. “That’s the possibility that we have. And it gives our guys an opportunity to feel that.
“We’ve talked about how when you win a game, it gives you this confidence that ‘Hey, we’re going to go win the next one.’ It’s the same thing when you talk about our unit. The more you have production like that, the more you start believing in what you’re doing.”
There was plenty to believe in within last week’s convincing victory over the Commanders, a 40-point explosion that came just four nights after the Bears racked up 471 yards in a 31-28 home loss to the Broncos. Suddenly, the offense seems to be forging its identity and finding balance.
Major missteps were reduced. Playmakers made plays. And in a five-day span, the Bears’ productivity gave life to some much-needed confidence that should carry into Sunday’s game against the Vikings and beyond.
The offensive totals from the last two games: eight touchdowns and four field goals on 21 possessions, 922 total yards, 68 points.
Feel free to pause and read those numbers again.
“If you just look at what we’re doing execution-wise, it’s way better,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “That has been really good to see. “(The coaches) have done a good job of figuring out guys’ strengths and really playing to them.”
Most notably, in quickly taking control against the Commanders, the Bears scored on all five first-half possessions, racking up 307 yards and 14 first downs and building a 27-3 halftime lead.
With no offensive penalties and only one snap that went for negative yardage, it sure didn’t seem like the Bears left much on the table. “To our guys’ credit, being able to execute (well) as many times as we did is a tribute to their preparation,” Getsy said.
Even a couple of shrewd throwaways by Justin Fields in situations in which he might have taken sacks previously registered as noteworthy.
“Young quarterbacks don’t always like to let a play go,” Getsy said. “It’s hard for them to do that. Justin is still in that phase. But to be able to do that — throw it away and move on to the next play — that’s absolutely something we acknowledge as a positive.”
Is it too bold, though, to call that entire first-half performance in a 20-point road victory a masterpiece?
“Yeah,” Getsy said. “No. That was not a masterpiece. By no means. It truly isn’t. It’s our guys learning how to play with each other and those guys playing well together.
“In Year 2, that’s what you’re hoping for — that it all starts to look a little better each game. And our guys took advantage of opportunities.”
OK. Fair enough. A grounded and sober outlook is understandable even as the doors to possibility open a bit wider. And that’s where Getsy’s process-driven guidance proves valuable to the Bears offense.
“When we watch the film, we see it differently than the world sees it,” Getsy said. “We’re seeing where we miss an assignment or where there’s missed execution or where we fail to take advantage of something that was given.”
Still, Getsy offered his perspective on a handful of positive plays from that first half at Fed Ex Field — both from the highlight reel and from the under-the-radar files.
DJ Moore’s 11-yard touchdown catch from Fields in the second quarter, for example, registered as impressive. That was Moore’s second of three scores and part of an eight-grab, 230-yard night. But the significance of that play should not go understated, one of six third-down conversions the Bears had in the first half.
Fields hit Moore for 58 yards to convert third-and-9 on the opening drive, then struck for a 20-yard touchdown to Moore on third-and-14 to cap that series. Two possessions later, the duo’s second TD came on third-and-6 with Moore feigning a hitch route against cornerback Kendall Fuller, then breaking outside and toward the back-left corner of the end zone.
Fields loved what he saw presnap and even with Daron Payne applying notable pressure up the middle, let it rip.
Moore called it a “faith throw,” the kind of “just trust me moment” that can take this offense to new heights. “If you hit on them once, you’re going to keep hitting on them.” Moore said.
The route was crisp. The throw was beautiful.
“We’ve done that plenty of times since the moment he got here,” Fields said. “He knows I trust him. And he trusts me on that to put it in the right spot.”
Even Getsy couldn’t minimize the excitement of that sequence with Moore making a contested catch and getting both feet down inbounds.
“That’s the whole chemistry thing everyone was talking about all offseason and through training camp,” Getsy said. “When you execute those in games rather than just practice, that’s a double bonus. Doing it in practice gives you the confidence to go do it. Then when you start doing it regularly in the games, that provides even more belief and more confidence.”
On the next series, the Bears’ longest gain on a 13-play, 57-yard field-goal drive came with schoolyard simplicity. Fields took advantage of a seven-man protection with tight end Cole Kmet leaking up the left hash and Moore keeping the defense honest deep. With a clean pocket, Fields showed calm and command, then hunted a big-window completion for 23 yards.
“That was just a play-action concept to get people moving laterally,” Getsy said. “Then it’s just a low-high concept where their defense stayed deep. Cole ran his route underneath and Justin found him.”
Simple, sure. But that kind of efficiency puts an evolving offense like this one on the escalator toward more consistent success.
That was also another sign that Fields might be playing with the mental clarity and instinctive flow he was lacking — and longing for — during the team’s September struggles.
In the games against the Broncos and Commanders, Fields threw for 617 yards with eight touchdown passes and a 131.3 rating. Whatever it was, something clicked.
More Top Picks Best Travel Backpacks
“There’s not this magic wand we had or anything like that,” Getsy said. “I think experience gives you confidence. I think different exposures give you confidence. I think learning from your mistakes and learning from the things you do well gives you this confidence to go out and do your job.”
The Bears ended the first half by converting a Greg Stroman Jr. interception into a touchdown drive, one that accelerated after running back Khalil Herbert took a third-and-7 draw play up the middle and gained 16 yards. Rather than settling for a field-goal attempt, the Bears continued on for a dagger touchdown.
The Herbert run was one the offense celebrated with the running back getting hit initially 5 yards past the line of scrimmage but keeping his legs churning, then being driven forward with a downfield push from center Cody Whitehair and then right guard Nate Davis and then left guard Teven Jenkins.
“That is the perfect example of the play style we want to have,” running backs coach David Walker said. “It’s the way we ran it. It’s the way the linemen were finishing blocks and downfield pushing piles. A play like that would be the first play we’d show in the offseason to say, ‘This is what we want it to feel and look like.'”
That, right there, is what Getsy loves most.
“That,” he said, “is great. Anytime you establish it to where you can run the ball in any situation, you’ve created an advantage to run different things that defenses have to think about. But on that play, it was all about the finish. I talk a lot about our play style and the positive energy we need and all that stuff. To have all those guys getting involved on that play, it’s a significant play for showing who we want to be.”
The hope, of course, is that the Bears offense can permanently become what they showed they have the potential to be against the Broncos and Commanders.
Tough. United. Confident. In sync.
As much as anything, though, Getsy has been pleased with the way his players have returned this week with the proper perspective and focus, still fully immersed in the process of improving on their recent improvements.
“It’s a credit our guys,” Getsy said. “They have such a good brotherhood in the room. And there’s a consistency with which we attack each and every week. So if you want to say that I am constantly grounded or levelheaded, I feel like they’ve been a reflection of that where they really buy into the process and establishing our play style with the way we want to play the game.”
Something to prove
When the schedule came out in May, Jaylon Johnson had it circled.
Oct. 15. Bears at Vikings. Soldier Field. Noon kickoff.
Johnson has proved himself as the ambitious type, a fearless and confident competitor who likes to challenge himself with the toughest tests in the sport. So heck yes, he wanted his crack to square off against Minnesota Vikings star Justin Jefferson, he of the 30 career 100-yard receiving games and the 5,396 receiving yards and the 28 touchdowns.
Johnson didn’t get his opportunity to battle Jefferson last season, missing the teams’ Week 5 game in Minneapolis with a quadriceps injury, then finding his way onto injured reserve in late December with a broken finger that kept him out of the season finale against the Vikings.
Oct. 15 was going to provide Johnson his much-anticipated challenge against one of the most explosive playmakers in the NFL. He was enthusiastic about it. The date was circled, underlined and highlighted. And even as Johnson sat out the last two weeks with a hamstring issue, he attacked his therapy and recovery aggressively with an eye on getting back to face the Vikings.
He even spent much of Week 5 deep into his studies of Jefferson and the Minnesota passing attack.
“I was watching that film all last week,” Johnson said. “That was definitely a matchup I was looking forward to.”
Alas …
The Vikings placed Jefferson on IR on Monday, sidelining him until at least Week 10 with a hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Maybe, a reporter suggested facetiously, Jefferson was just ducking the Bears’ top cornerback?
“Nah,” Johnson said with a laugh. “Not on IR. I do hope he gets better though.”
Johnson might have been the only one at Halas Hall who was not feeling a sense of relief when the Jefferson-to-IR news broke, instead acknowledging he was bummed at how it changes this week’s test.
“Yeah, 100 percent,” Johnson said. “He’s been somebody I’ve been wanting to face.”
Still, now is not the time for Johnson to lose focus or let up. Not in the second month of a contract season. Not with the Bears coming off a convincing 40-20 beatdown of the Washington Commanders last week. Not with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins coming to town and still having the weaponry around him in T.J. Hockenson, K.J. Osborn and Jordan Addison to make life difficult on the Bears defense.
Instead, this is the chance for Johnson and the secondary to prove what they are made of, to show they can be the engine of an improving defense that can significantly aid a suddenly resurgent offense.
The Bears’ defensive backfield was viewed as one of the obvious strengths of this team when training camp opened in July with Johnson as a key piece. But the five starters in the secondary have played only 27 snaps together through five games.
Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon spent a month on IR after breaking his hand in the opener. Eddie Jackson missed the last three games with a foot injury. Johnson, meanwhile, has been out since first injuring his ankle and then straining his hamstring against the Chiefs in Week 3.
All three players have been back in the mix at practice this week and are pushing to be back together Sunday at Soldier Field alongside fellow defensive backfield starters Jaquan Brisker and Tyrique Stevenson.
“Shoot,” Johnson said. “That’ll bring the energy and bring the juice. … We definitely have to get back and up the energy, up the execution. We have to come back and we have to start that click. We don’t have time for any more mess-ups. We’ve got that all out of the way. We have to come back and execute at a high level.”
Johnson’s play will be a big part of that both as the team tries to find its winning stride and as the 24-year-old cornerback looks to establish his value with his rookie contract coming to an end. Johnson has missed a dozen games in his four seasons, still facing questions about his durability. He also has only one career interception — in the first month of 2021 — leaving him plenty to prove as far as his game-changing abilities. He has the next three months to continue showing Bears general manager Ryan Poles he is worth investing in long-term.
Sunday offers the next test — even if the degree of difficulty isn’t what Johnson was hoping for.
For whatever it’s worth, the Bears will face the Vikings again on Nov. 27 at U.S. Bank Stadium. That’s a “Monday Night Football” matchup in Week 12. Johnson’s desire to face Jefferson won’t diminish.
“I’ll see him in the future,” he said.
‘A good get’
Justin Jefferson’s absence will put a new and heavy strain on the Minnesota Vikings passing attack. Jefferson, after all, hadn’t missed a game since entering the league in 2020. Over the team’s last 55 games, he has averaged 9.6 targets, 6.5 catches and 98.1 yards.
Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell has never had to put together a game plan without Jefferson as the focal point. Quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn’t had to play without Jefferson since the 2019 playoffs. And that was when he had the luxury of slinging the ball around to Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.
Through that prism, Sunday must be seen as a test of adaptation for the Vikings and a challenge of adjustment for the Bears defense.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve dealt with (taking advantage of) every opportunity we’ve had of making sure that with our best player we’re featuring him regardless of what teams try to do to take him out of the game plan,” O’Connell said this week.
The Vikings will pivot and try to modify their approach in a way that helps unlock other playmakers. Rookie receiver Jordan Addison, who has 19 catches for 249 yards with three touchdowns in his first five NFL games, figures to see an uptick in playing time and target volume. Veteran K.J. Osborn is also in line for more action.
But tight end T.J. Hockenson might become the Vikings’ primary pass catcher while Jefferson is out. And that leaves the Bears defense to account for Hockenson on Sunday.
Hockenson has 30 catches this season, the most of any player not named Jefferson who will play at Soldier Field this weekend. He has had 39 passes thrown his way and totaled 254 receiving yards with two touchdowns.
More Top Picks Best Thin Leather Wallets For Men
Bears safety Jaquan Brisker said Thursday that he expects Hockenson to be heavily involved in what the Vikings attempt to do this weekend, noting the big tight end’s versatility as a blocker and pass catcher and his ability to move around in formations.
“He’s balanced,” Brisker said.
Matt Eberflus has noted the obvious chemistry Cousins has developed with Hockenson.
“He’s very good at getting open,” Eberflus said. “He uses his body to get open a lot of times. But he also has really good stem at the top of his routes to be able to work away from man (coverage) or work into the open zones. He is really good at that. And he’s good with yards after the catch. He’s a heck of an athlete. That was a good get for them.”
The Vikings traded for Hockenson in November, then signed him to a four-year, $68.5 million extension just before the season started this fall. The early returns on both investments have been promising with Hockenson contributing 90 catches, 773 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games with the team. His role and responsibility might increase. And the Bears’ ability to slow him down Sunday figures to be a major key.