'We're going for it': 3 things Eberflus said Monday about 4th-down call and Bears' loss to Broncos
LAKE FOREST - Bears coach Matt Eberflus didn't have time to lament on what went wrong in Sunday's 31-28 collapse against the Denver Broncos with a quick turnaround on the road against the Washington Commanders set for Thursday.
The Bears held lengthy meetings to keep players off their feet and went through a walk-through Monday, and they will have more walk-throughs and meetings Tuesday before practicing Wednesday. Here are the three biggest take-aways from Eberflus' media session Monday at Halas Hall.
On going for it on fourth-and-1 with a chance to win the game
Eberflus said he would make the same decision again when he chose to go for it on fourth-and-1 on Denver's 18-yard line with a chance to win the game.
"We were just trying to seal the game right there," Eberflus said. "We were doing a good job of capturing the game at that moment. We liked where we were running the ball at that time as an offense."
The Bears had an opportunity to take back the lead after blowing a 28-7 advantage with 2:57 left in the game. Eberflus tried to get the Broncos to commit their eighth penalty of the day with a hard count the play before and called a timeout. Quarterback Justin Fields took the snap out of the shotgun formation and handed it to Khalil Herbert before the Broncos made the stop.
Eberflus said he's always talking about different scenarios to go for it on fourth down throughout the game with his staff, including Harrison Freid, the team's director of research and analysis. They look at the opposing quarterback, how the other offense is performing and where they are on the field. Eberflus said he thought the probability was high that the Bears win the game if they pick up the first down.
Given all that, Eberflus said he'd do it again.
"If it was inches, no question. If it was a yard, half a yard, it was a decision we had to make," Eberflus said. "At that time, we said this right here we're going for it."
On Fields, offensive success
Eberflus said the team will continue to run the offense the way it did Sunday after Fields put together the best outing of his career.
Fields finished the day with 335 passing yards - the first time he threw for 300 in his career - and four touchdowns while also setting a franchise record by throwing 16 straight completions. He looked comfortable for much of the first three quarters, using his feet to give receivers time to get open or to pick up significant yardage.
The Broncos returned a Fields fumble for a touchdown to tie the game 28-28 in the fourth quarter, and he threw an interception late to seal the win for Denver. But Fields also led the Bears 57 yards before the Broncos stopped their fourth-and-1 attempt.
While there might be some slight personnel adjustments, Eberflus said he doesn't see a reason for changing what worked offensively.
"In terms of the concept and the style, that's going to be there," Eberflus said. "We want to make sure we're enhancing the skill of our players, and yesterday we did that. We're going to continue to do that."
On Teven Jenkins' coming back
The Bears got good news health-wise on the offensive line as Eberflus announced that Teven Jenkins was designated to return to practice. The move opens up a 21-day window for Jenkins to join the 53-man roster.
Jenkins was placed on injured reserve before the season started with a right leg injury that he suffered in August. The Bears' offensive line continued to be battered with injuries early in the year, with left tackle Braxton Jones being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury after the Tampa Bay game in Week 2. Right guard Nate Davis also missed a couple of games for personal reasons.
The Bears have played Cody Whitehair, who was supposed to be the team's starting center, at left guard, while Lucas Patrick has started at center. The Bears won't practice until Wednesday with the short week and play Thursday, so it's unlikely Jenkins could jump back into game action against the Commanders.