Chicago Sun-Times: All posts by Jason Lieser

George McCaskey continues push to keep Bears’ home games from going international

2023-12-14T15:23:30.172-06:00

Since the start of the NFL’s international push in 2007, McCaskey has kept the Bears from losing a home game to it.

AP Photos

The Bears were the only team to vote against the NFL’s new proposal to expand international play. The new measure, which passed Wednesday, set the league up to play eight international games starting in 2025.

One detail of that resolution is that teams can block only two of their home games from being moved, as opposed to the current four.

In explaining his vote against it, chairman George McCaskey touted the Bears’ opportunity to host “generational talents,” CBS Sports reported, citing a source in the room in Irving, Texas, and listed Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts — and Giants upstart Tommy Devito, the former University of Illinois quarterback who has started four games.

McCaskey’s joke was, in part, a jab at Giants owner John Mara, a close friend of his.

But he was not kidding about the policy. McCaskey has been adamant about keeping the Bears off the television show “Hard Knocks” and minimizing how many home games they lose to international play.

Next season, the league is playing three games in London, one in Munich and one in Sao Paulo. The Jaguars will play one of their home games in London, but the other four international games will be pulled from NFC teams’ home games.

The Bears have played in London twice, but both games would’ve been on the road anyway.

Bears predictions: Week 15 at Browns

2023-12-14T11:09:53.621-06:00

Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones celebrates during a preseason game against the Browns last year.

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images

The Sun-Times’ experts offer their picks for the Bears’ game Sunday in Cleveland:

Rick Morrissey

Bears, 20-17: If the Bears can make Jared Goff look like an interception-throwing statue, surely they can do the same with 38-year-old Joe Flacco, who leaves the pocket only for bingo and bathroom breaks. A huge question is whether Justin Fields can survive the Browns’ defense. Season: 9-4.

Rick Telander

Bears, 28-24: Wherever you go, whatever you do, no matter how bad it gets, the Browns are worse. Tim Couch, Kellen Winslow Jr, “Johnny Football” Manziel, Deshaun Watson ($230 million guaranteed), etc. Season: 9-4.

Scoop Jackson

Bears, 19-16: Stefanski vs. Eberflus. This will not be a matchup against teams as much as it will be about Matt’s future. Going against an 8-5 team that has the most wins in the NFL against teams with winning records — with their own polarized coach — this will be the “gauge game” the Bears use to confirm who Eberflus is and what he’s capable (or incapable) of becoming. Season: 9-4.

Patrick Finley

Browns, 23-20 (OT): Winning on the road is hard. Since going 5-3 away from Soldier Field in 2020, the Bears have won just six times in 24 road games. Only one team the Bears have played on the road this year, the Lions, have a better record than the Browns right now. Season: 10-3.

Jason Lieser

Browns, 19-17: While the spike in scoring with 28 points against the Lions was nice, the Bears are two games removed from managing just four field goals against the Vikings. And Cleveland has one of the NFL’s best defenses. Season: 6-7.

Mark Potash

Browns, 20-19: The Bears are heading in the right direction under Eberflus, with three victories in their last four games, and are in position for a third consecutive upset. This should go down the last play. Season: 7-6.

NFL power rankings: A new top 2 with 4 games remaining

2023-12-12T11:14:32.974-06:00

Nick Bosa’s 49ers don’t seem to have a weakness.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Even as the Bears enjoy somewhat of a resurgence, there’s no doubt they miss All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith. In a brutal two-day span last year, general manager Ryan Poles offloaded Smith to the Ravens and sent a second-round pick to the Steelers for wide receiver Chase Claypool.

The red flags on both were the other party. It was curious that the Steelers, one of the most respected organizations in sports, were so eager to drop Claypool. It was equally concerning that the Ravens, also highly respected, were so eager to get Smith and quickly agreed to his contract demands.

Smith said the trade saved his career from “going down the drain” on a team that wouldn’t be competing for a championship soon, and now he’s the centerpiece for the Ravens as they take a shot at the Super Bowl.

They enter Week 15 as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, and there’s little reason to doubt them. They’re No. 2 in scoring defense, No. 4 in offense, they’ve got a perennial MVP candidate at quarterback in Lamar Jackson and they’ve been consistent. Their next three games are against the Jaguars, 49ers and Dolphins — an opportunity to solidify themselves as the AFC favorite.

Smith, by the way, is fourth in the NFL with 136 tackles with five tackles for loss and a forced fumble as he cruises toward a likely All-Pro selection for a second consecutive season.

While Patrick Mahomes, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, rookie C.J. Stroud and even Brock Purdy grab the attention, Jackson quietly is having his best season since 2020 with a 97.7 passer rating, 225.7 passing yards and 49.5 rushing yards per game and is on track for arguably the most efficient passing season of his career with a 66.8 completion percentage and 1.6 interception percentage.

† Prescott vaulted himself to the top of the MVP race by leading the Cowboys to a 33-13 blowout of the Eagles, but it’s still hard to trust Dallas. The Cowboys have a lot of seasons like this that end up going nowhere. They went 12-5 each of the last two seasons and still were early exits in the playoffs.

† The Eagles are in a slump, but that’s not necessarily cause for alarm. In their last three games, they needed overtime to beat the Bills, then lost decisively to the 49ers and Cowboys. But every team hits a lull at some point. Don’t let three weeks outweigh everything this team has shown for two seasons.

† The Bears own the Panthers’ upcoming first-round pick, and ESPN Analytics gives it a 95% chance of being No. 1, a 99% chance of being in the top two and a better-than-99% chance of landing third or higher. The three-win Patriots and Cardinals, however, still have a shot at sneaking in if the Panthers pull off a couple of surprises. The remaining schedule signals a strong possibility the Patriots and Cardinals will lose out to finish 3-14.

† Speaking of Claypool, he did not play a snap on offense in the Dolphins’ last two games. In the 11 games since the Bears traded him, he has been inactive six times and caught one pass for 15 yards.

Here are the latest NFL power rankings with four games left in the season:

1. 49ers (10-3)

There’s no liability on this team, which is now the NFC favorite.

2. Ravens (10-3)

Their three losses came by a total of 12 points.

3. Eagles (10-3)

They’re in a rut with back-to-back blowout losses, but don’t write them off.

4. Cowboys (10-3)

They’re the only team with two wins against the Eagles over the last two seasons.

5. Chiefs (8-5)

It’s hard to believe the Chiefs have an elite defense and aren’t better than this.

6. Dolphins (9-4)

The Dolphins had a Bears-like collapse against the Titans after leading big late.

7. Bills (7-6)

We’ll find out if the Bills are serious when they visit the Cowboys on Sunday.

8. Lions (9-4)

Even with their recent struggles, the Lions still lead their division by two games.

9. Browns (8-5)

They’ve allowed the fewest yards and the 14th-fewest points and are 10^th in takeaways.

10. Jaguars (8-5)

They’ve been looking shaky — and they play the Ravens next.

11. Texans (7-6)

C.J. Stroud played the worst game of his career in their loss to the Jets.

12. Broncos (7-6)

The Broncos have beaten several playoff contenders on their way from 1-5 to 7-6.

13. Vikings (7-6)

Their 3-0 win over the Raiders was the worst game of the NFL season.

14. Bengals (7-6)

Backup quarterback Jake Browning has a 113.4 passer rating in three starts.

15. Steelers (7-6)

They’ll start Mitch Trubisky again this week against the Colts.

16. Packers (6-7)

Losing to the Giants on Monday might cost them a playoff spot.

17. Buccaneers (6-7)

There’s a three-way tie of sub-.500 teams atop the pitiful NFC South.

18. Colts (7-6)

Their offense, led by Gardner Minshew, is keeping them in the hunt.

19. Rams (6-7)

The Rams are 11-19 since winning the Super Bowl in the 2021 season.

20. Seahawks (6-7)

A four-game losing streak put a big dent in their playoff hopes.

21. Saints (6-7)

They got booed at home in a win over the piddly Panthers.

22. Falcons (6-7)

The Falcons could have a lot at stake when they visit Soldier Field.

23. Jets (5-8)

Who predicted quarterback Zach Wilson playing the game of his life in his return?

24. Chargers (5-8)

It’s time for the Chargers to tank, but Brandon Staley can’t take that risk.

25. Bears (5-8)

Sunday was the best they’ve played, and they’re still behind a lot of teams.

26. Raiders (5-8)

No team has thrown more interceptions than the Raiders’ 18.

27. Titans (5-8)

Will Levis is having the second-best rookie season among quarterbacks.

28. Giants (5-8)

It has been ugly, but the Giants have won three games in a row.

29. Commanders (4-9)

They have a minus-134 point differential; only the Panthers are worse.

30. Patriots (3-10)

The Patriots opened as 9 ½-point underdogs at home against the Chiefs.

31. Cardinals (3-10)

Kyler Murray can protect his job by leading them to wins down the stretch.

32. Panthers (1-12)

They’re closing in on clinching the No. 1 draft pick — for the Bears.

Bears’ trade for DE Montez Sweat vaults defense from embarrassing to elite

Bears’ trade for DE Montez Sweat vaults defense from embarrassing to elite

2023-12-11T23:16:33.262-06:00

Montez Sweat reached 10 sacks for the season Sunday, the first time he’s done that in his career.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

In a little more than a month with the Bears, defensive end Montez Sweat has vaulted their defense from embarrassing to elite. General manager Ryan Poles paid a high price in the trade with the Commanders and in a massive contract extension. It’s looking like smart money.

Sweat has 3½ sacks in five games since his arrival, and his presence has rippled through the defense. The Bears allowed the fifth-most points per game before the trade and have given up the ninth-fewest since.

They have more takeaways with him (11) than without him (nine). Same for sacks, jumping from nine in eight games to 11 in the last five as extra attention on Sweat created opportunities for others. The loaded secondary, once undercut by a punchless pass rush, has been second in the NFL in opponent passer rating (70.7) after the trade.

Turns out the Tez Effect, as coach Matt Eberflus calls it, is real.

“It’s an uptick because of a great pass rusher — that’s what he is,” Eberflus said Monday. “He definitely helps others. . . . It’s enabled us to play more coverage and not [blitz] as much on those situational downs and get home with four.”

Is this what he needed all along? If the Bears had gone into the season with this type of pass rusher, might they have avoided digging themselves a 2-7 hole?

Eberflus finally can call a defense that matches his vision, rather than constantly trying to cobble together work-arounds for its deficiencies.

“I feel a lot better about it,” he said.

Poles should, too. He seems to have drafted well in the secondary and spent well at linebacker, but those moves were negated by having so little up front.

The criticism Poles faced on the Sweat trade was for being a buyer at the trade deadline when his team was spiraling and giving up a second-round pick (currently slotted at No. 37 overall) for a player who was a pending free agent.

But he was right on both fronts. It’s hard to find a top-tier pass rusher that late in the draft, and even if the Bears had continued to plunge, Sweat is 27 and a long-term play. Poles immediately signed him to a four-year, $98 million extension.

As far as giving up a valuable draft pick, that was the only way to get Sweat. The Bears were desperate, as they should’ve been. The Commanders were unloading him either way, and whoever traded for him was going to do the same thing the Bears did to keep him from hitting free agency.

Unlike the Chase Claypool trade, the Bears got an instant return on Sweat.

But they’ve helped him, too. Sweat was good with the Commanders. He has been great with the Bears. Part of their thinking in the trade was that they could make more of his talent.

“When you bring a guy in that has that talent, and he plays to [our] standard, there’s going to be more production,” Eberflus said. ‘‘There’s going to be more intensity.

“You play how you practice, and he’s been practicing his butt off. His stamina is increasing, and he’s done a really good job with that.”

He could argue that Sweat’s quick improvement is proof of the H.I.T.S. concept. When Eberflus arrived, safety Eddie Jackson said practices were harder than they’d ever been under Bears predecessors Matt Nagy and John Fox.

Reading between the lines in the last month, the Bears have taken aim at correcting Sweat’s conditioning, and it shows. He played 48 snaps, his most since the trade, in the Bears’ 28-13 victory against the Lions on Sunday and had two half-sacks — pushing him to 10 for the season for the first time in his career — and four quarterback hits.

The trade has sparked the defense and sparked hope. The Bears hadn’t had either in a while.

Justin Fields, Luke Getsy face big test vs. Browns’ defense

Soldier Field’s grass remarkably healthy; no longer a ‘sandy field that they spray-painted green’

2023-12-11T19:47:30.759-06:00

Justin Fields was impressed by the quality of the playing field Sunday at Soldier Field, which historically has had one of the worst surfaces in the NFL.

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Anybody else notice how uncharacteristically green and healthy the grass at Soldier Field looked for Bears-Lions on Sunday? It typically has been patchy and perhaps unstable by this time of year, but it has been excellent since coach Matt Eberflus and the Bears insisted on switching to Bermuda grass.

When quarterback Justin Fields described his 11-yard touchdown run in the Bears’ 28-13 win over the Lions, he said he “just saw green grass,” which was interesting because it’s usually yellowish and patchy at this point in the season.

“It’s funny you say that, because when I stepped on the field, I noticed how green it was,” Fields said. “Whoever is keeping up with the field is definitely doing a great job of handling the grass and making sure it’s good to go when we go out there.”

He added it “definitely does” make a difference in performance to have reliable grass, and Eberflus shouted out head groundskeeper Ken Mrock unprompted Monday.

“Ken Mrock’s our grounds crew guy and does an excellent job with taking care of our fields here at Halas, but also at Soldier Field,” Eberflus said. “That thing was in great shape. It’s a hybrid Bermuda grass that we talked about when we first got here ... and making that a better surface, a faster surface.”

The tipping point for the change from Kentucky bluegrass to Carolina Green Corporation’s Tahoma 31 sod was a preseason game against the Chiefs last year in which the grass was so bad that NFL agent David Canter called for it to be postponed and NFLPA president J.C. Tretter said the league needed to do better.

Bears kicker Cairo Santos called it “reckless” for the NFL to hold a game on that field and described it as “a sandy field that they spray-painted green.”

Eberflus said at the time he was not “a grass expert” and wouldn’t say whether he pushed for the switch.

ESPN Analytics gives Bears 95% chance of getting No. 1 draft pick via Panthers

2023-12-11T19:24:59.453-06:00

As Bryce Young and the Panthers plummet, the Bears will reap the reward of getting their first-round draft pick.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

The Bears have about as much at stake in the Panthers’ season as their own because they get the Panthers’ upcoming first-round draft pick.

When the Panthers lost 28-6 to the Saints on Sunday, they fell to 1-12 and maintained a two-game cushion with four games left in what the Bears hope will be a path to the No. 1 overall pick. The Bears’ pick was slotted for seventh after beating the Lions, with some movement possible depending on how the Titans and Giants fared Monday night.

ESPN Analytics’ latest projections gave the Bears a 95% chance of getting the No. 1 pick via the Panthers, a 98% likelihood of picking in the top two and 99% shot at a top-three pick. ESPN also calculated a 2% possibility of the Bears’ own pick being in the top three.

Every team the Panthers have left on their schedule currently is competing for a playoff spot: the Falcons, Packers, Jaguars and Buccaneers.

The Bears had the No. 1 overall pick this year, but traded down to No. 9 in a deal with the Panthers that brought them wide receiver DJ Moore, the Panthers’ first-round pick next year and their second-rounder in 2025.

2024 NFL draft tracker: Bears control No. 1 and No. 5 picks

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker accuses opponents of coaching ‘dirty stuff’ to injure Justin Fields

2023-12-11T13:32:11.098-06:00

Justin Fields took eight quarterback hits in addition to hits on his run plays Sunday.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

Taking some hits comes with the territory for a mobile quarterback like Justin Fields, but the Bears are fired up about some of them crossing the line into being dangerous and deliberate.

Fields took eight hits on pass plays, including three sacks, in addition to whatever contact he endured on 10 running plays Sunday in the Bears’ 28-13 win over the Lions, and coach Matt Eberflus said he is “very active” in voicing objection to the NFL office and throughout the game to the officials.

“I’m always in their ear about that because protecting the quarterbacks in this league is big,” Eberflus said Monday. “If you have a guy that’s a runner, and he slides down like that, we’ve gotta protect him. . . . We’ve just gotta make sure we take care of our quarterbacks.”

Eberflus was upset about late and possibly malicious hits on Fields when the Bears and Lions played last month. Things were better Sunday, he thought, but he “wasn’t happy” about Lions linebacker Jack Campbell hitting Fields in the head well after his slide on a one-yard scramble to open the game. Fields immediately popped up and threw his hands up at the nearby official looking for a flag.

“It’s just not the right thing to do,” Eberflus said of Campbell’s hit.

Safety Jaquan Brisker went a step further, asserting that opposing coaches are instructing defenders “to do dirty stuff after the play” and said he saw Lions players “trying to mess with his hands” when they hit Fields.

“It’s obviously being taught, by the way he’s been treated the last couple of weeks — a lot of shots to the head,” Brisker said. “It is very disappointing seeing a guy like that take hits like that. And one of those hits, God forbid, could be something very bad. The league needs to get on that.”

He continued, “You can just tell the way they hit him after a play. . . . They’re just trying to do whatever they can to get him out of the game. It’s obvious.”

Draft update

The Bears have about as much at stake in the Panthers’ season as their own because they get Carolina’s upcoming first-round draft pick.

After the Panthers lost 28-6 to the Saints on Sunday, they fell to 1-12 and maintained a two-game cushion with four games left in what the Bears hope will be a path to the No. 1 overall pick.

ESPN Analytics’ latest projections gave the Bears a 95% chance of getting the No. 1 pick via the Panthers, a 98% likelihood of picking in the top two and a 99% shot at a top-three pick.

Turf talk

Anybody else notice how uncharacteristically green and healthy the grass at Soldier Field looked Sunday?

It typically has been patchy and perhaps unstable by this time of year, but it has been excellent since Eberflus and the Bears insisted on switching to Bermuda grass.

“Whoever is keeping up with the field is definitely doing a great job of handling the grass and making sure it’s good to go when we go out there,” Fields said.

He added it “definitely does” make a difference in performance to have reliable grass.

Eberflus shouted out head -groundskeeper Ken Mrock unprompted Monday.

This and that

Defensive end Yannick Ngakoue hurt his ankle against the Lions and played only 34 snaps. Eberflus said he would give an update Wednesday.

† Wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who missed the Lions game with a pectoral injury, is still considered week-to-week.

† Eberflus marveled at Brisker’s 17 tackles Sunday but said Monday the coaching staff counted 18 in film review.

If the NFL changes his total to 18, it will be the most by a Bear since Jamar Williams’ 18 in 2009.

2024 NFL draft tracker: Bears control No. 1 and No. 5 picks

3 takeaways from Bears’ 28-13 win over Lions at Soldier Field

2023-12-10T19:00:24.364-06:00

Ryan Poles (left) and Matt Eberflus (right) have fixed the defense, but there are still unanswered questions about the Bears.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

In beating the NFC North-leading Lions 28-13 on Sunday, the Bears handled their business in every aspect — a rarity over the last five seasons. That’s a nice start to the home stretch of the season, but they can’t be content with that. Here are three takeaways from the victory:

Eberflus fixed the defense

There has been enough evidence for a long enough time to credit coach Matt Eberflus — as well as general manager Ryan Poles for moves such as trading for defensive end Montez Sweat — for righting a defense that was the NFL’s worst last season. There’s still work to do, but the Bears are reliable and respectable. Only the Ravens have held the Lions to fewer points this season.

Something to talk about

Justin Fields played well enough to keep himself in the conversation for franchise quarterback, but he’ll need more emphatic evidence going forward. He has had other games that looked like breakthroughs at the moment, then felt empty when he fell flat in the next game. The Browns game next Sunday will be incredibly important for him.

Mostly good Getsy

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, whose job is on the line as much as anyone’s, made a lot of good calls. DJ Moore’s touchdown run was a bright spot, and the Bears looked very well-coached on the free-play touchdown pass to Moore. He also was more aggressive at the end than he was when the Bears unraveled against the Lions last month. But that fourth-and-one pitch to Moore was a bad idea all around.

Jaquan Brisker sets Bears DB record with 17 tackles vs. Lions

Justin Fields keeps himself in Bears QB debate by leading them to win over Lions

2023-12-10T18:40:06.662-06:00

Justin Fields played turnover-free football and had 281 yards passing and rushing combined.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

With Justin Fields’ future in flux and everything seemingly stacked against him as he tries to convince the Bears he’s their franchise quarterback, he delivered a performance Sunday at Soldier Field that will keep the debate going.

Fields made the decisive plays in a 28-13 win over the Lions — a landmark victory for him and the Bears — and gave everyone something to think about as the team heads toward a crucial decision: commit to Fields, or reset with, perhaps, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.

Fields and the Bears got redemption against the opponent that embarrassed them the last time the teams met. Whereas last month, the Bears blew a 26-14 lead with four minutes left in Detroit, this time they were up 25-13 early in the fourth quarter and closed without any drama.

Fields’ performance wasn’t always artful, but he played well overall and was instrumental in the win. The Bears wouldn’t have taken this game without him.

“He’s still growing and getting better every week,” wide receiver DJ Moore said. “These last four games, you might see something spectacular out of him.”

That would go a long way. Fields wasn’t “spectacular” Sunday, but he was good, completing 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers for an 88.3 passer rating and running 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. Three times, he bailed the Bears out on third down with scrambles, including an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

He also put them ahead late in the third quarter on a brilliant play. With the Bears facing fourth-and-13 at the Lions’ 38-yard line, Fields drew star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson offside, then took advantage of the free play by perfectly leading Moore into the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown pass for a 19-13 lead.

The Bears never had any intention of running a play. If the Lions had restrained themselves, as expected, the Bears simply would have taken a delay-of-game penalty and punted. But they sold it with Fields’ hard count, receivers pretending to signal to each other and the offensive line making a flurry of fake calls.

“I thought, ‘No way in hell are they jumping,’ ” tight end Cole Kmet said. “I don’t know how you could jump in that situation, but they did. It was a hell of a cadence and a hell of a throw to DJ.”

Moore ended up in single coverage against cornerback Jerry Jacobs. Fields read it instantly.

“He’s hard to cover when you’ve got just one guy on him like that,” coach Matt Eber-flus said. “Really good throw, really good catch and really good reaction. When they jump, you’ve got to beat them to the punch because the defense isn’t quite ready. When they jump offsides, they stop, they hesitate, so you have a little bit more time, and that’s exactly what happened on that play.”

The Bears largely credited the theatrics of left guard Teven Jenkins and Fields for baiting Hutchinson. Fields said he called “a dummy protection adjustment to make it feel like a real play.”

Fields’ savvy in snapping into action to take advantage of Hutchinson’s error was a sign of growth from two years ago, when he was inattentive against the Packers and incorrectly thought he had a free play, flinging an interception to safety Darnell Savage.

Two plays after Moore’s touchdown, the Lions fumbled a snap at their own 29. Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered the ball, and it wasn’t long before Fields raced for a touchdown and a two-score lead.

Unlike the last time, that was it. The Bears looked competent and complete against a team that came in at 9-3 atop the NFC North.

“That’s what we can do,” left tackle Braxton Jones said. “In the past, we just kind of get in our britches and get scared and don’t be ourselves. This time, we came together. We got in that same position we were in last time, and we just finished the game. It’s huge for us. It’s a lot of momentum.”

The essence of general manager Ryan Poles’ upcoming decision on Fields is whether the Bears can win with him — really win, as in compete for championships. Poles is looking at college quarterbacks through the same lens — and the Panthers (1-12) lost again Sunday, increasing the probability the Bears will pick first in the draft because of their trade involving Moore and the No. 1 pick in March.

Fields was good enough to beat the Lions, but it’s up to Poles to ascertain if it will be enough in the long run, and whether Fields can replicate it regularly. The fact that a game like this was remarkable is part of the problem. The rushing and passing yards Fields put up are roughly what Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson averages.

For his part, Fields thinks he can climb from here. Kmet said the Bears missed some opportunities and “probably should’ve put 40 on them, honestly.” Fields agreed and cited “a lot of spots to improve” as he thought back through the game.

“There were a few throws I missed,” he said. “There were multiple plays during the game where we could have executed better. . . . The third downs and just the throws downfield, of course — there were a couple that I wanted back. But we won the game, and [there’s] still room to get better, so that’s just the hope for the future.”

Hope is great, but it can’t stop there. Eventually it has to materialize into success.

Conveniently, Fields and the Bears get a chance to prove exactly what they’re saying — that they’re capable of far more than this, when they visit the Browns next Sunday. The Browns aren’t as good overall as the Lions, but they have what Kmet called a top-end defense — one that’s arguably the best in the NFL against the pass.

That can’t be daunting to Fields. They’re exactly the kind of opponent he should want to face. It’s an ideal chance to make his point.

Matt Eberflus, Justin Fields close out Lions as Bears win 28-13 to avenge embarrassment

2023-12-10T15:06:15.253-06:00

Quarterback Justin Fields led the Bears to back-to-back touchdowns late to bury the Lions.

Quinn Harris/Getty Images

With the core of the Bears’ organization teetering as they entered the final stretch of the season, everybody got what they needed Sunday.

In their 28-13 win over the Lions, beleaguered coach Matt Eberflus picked up the best victory of his tenure, quarterback Justin Fields delivered two touchdowns to finish it and the Bears kept alive the idea of reclaiming their season.

Thirty games into his career, Eberflus finally won back-to-back games.

He and Fields found redemption against the opponent that embarrassed them last time they played. Whereas last month the Bears blew a 26-14 lead over the Lions with four minutes left in Detroit, the Bears went up 25-13 early in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field and never relented.

Fields put them ahead late in the third on a brilliant play. He drew a Lions defensive lineman offsides, then took advantage of the free play by perfectly leading DJ Moore into the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown pass.

The Lions fumbled the snap two plays later at their own 29-yard line, Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered it, and it wasn’t long before Fields scrambled 11 yards for a touchdown on third-and-goal for a two-score lead.

Unlike last time, that was it. The Bears looked competent and complete against a team that came in at 9-3 atop the NFC North.

Fields’ performance wasn’t always artful, but he was instrumental in the win. He completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers for an 88.3 passer rating and ran 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown.

That was more than enough to beat the Lions. It’s up to general manager Ryan Poles to decide if it’ll be enough in the long run and whether Fields can replicate it regularly.

With the Panthers losing to the Saints, the Bears still have a firm grasp on the No. 1 pick because they got the Panthers’ 2024 first-rounder in their trade this year. At 1-12, the Panthers have a two-game margin over the rest of the teams at the bottom of the league.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus has a signature win, finally — now he needs more