Missed opportunities and two more things Eberflus focused on after Bears' loss
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he showed clips to his team Monday morning from Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that were segmented into different parts. Part of the clips included missed opportunities the Bears could've made to win the game.
Eberflus talked about some of those plays and how he wants the Bears to improve when he met the media at Halas Hall on Monday afternoon. Here are the biggest take-aways from Eberflus' assessment.
On missed opportunities
Many of the clips Eberflus showed were of missed chances to take control of the game. Whether it was missed interceptions, not recovering the football after a caused fumble, not finishing sacks and tackles or making productive plays when the Buccaneers defense let them, Eberflus thought the game that was there for the taking.
"Everyone is held accountable to make those opportunities count," Eberflus said. "We have to do a better job as a group seizing those opportunities because those could swing the game for sure."
Creating pressure on Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was one of the biggest challenges the Bears defense faced Sunday. The Bears couldn't capitalize on a couple of opportunities to sack Mayfield despite making contact with him, and ended the game with zero sacks, 1 quarterback hit and 4 tackles for loss.
Mayfield looked like the old quarterback the Cleveland Browns drafted No. 1 overall in 2018. He threw for 317 yards - the most he's thrown since Week 1 of the 2021 season - and 1 touchdown.
Eberflus said he knew what the Bears needed to do in order to finish getting to the quarterback.
"It's about guys knowing what to do and knowing how to do it," Eberflus said. "That's on the coach and the players."
On Fields finding consistency
Eberflus thought Justin Fields showed growth against the Buccaneers, but Eberflus is looking for his quarterback to do it more consistently.
"You can see his operation is better with the offense, you can feel that," Eberflus said. "We're searching for consistency, to be able to create those explosive plays, get the ball to (D.J. Moore), to (Chase Claypool)."
Fields showed just how good of a quarterback he can be during the Bears' 2 touchdown drives. On the first drive of the game, the Bears ran what appeared to be a flawless 6-play, 75-yard drive down the field that included 2 passes to Moore for more than 30 yards. In the fourth quarter, the Bears went 90 yards down the field on a drive where Fields made impressive throws, including a 20-yard touchdown pass to Claypool.
But Eberflus is looking for more than two drives. Fields threw a pick-6 from the Bears' 6-yard line on the team's second-to-last drive, and then another interception on the team's last drive.
It's up to Fields to make the improvements to be more consistent.
"You see flashes, you see improvement, you see that," Eberflus said. "You see the ball delivered down the field yesterday, those are all positive things. You just want to see consistency with that. Take what the defense gives you, long ball, whatever the shot is there, whatever that route might be and if it's not there, then work on your progressions.
"It's just about the consistency."
On team morale after a 0-2 start
Eberflus quickly dismissed any questions of whether the team's morale needed to be addressed after an 0-2 start - and the 12th straight loss going back to last season.
"We are steadfast, we are straightforward and we are all in this together," Eberflus said. "Coaches, players, we are looking at a great Wednesday practice and looking at Kansas City."
The Bears are in a tough spot that could get even worse with a game set at the defending champions Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. KC is one of seven teams that started the season 0-2.
Eberflus continues to remain positive about his team's development.
"We've improved from Week 1 to Week 2, we're going to improve to Week 3," Eberflus said. "That's all we've got our eyes on right now."