CHICAGO — Justin Fields let it be known he was sore physically and mentally Thursday night after an ugly 12-7 loss to the Washington Commanders.
But about 14 hours after Fields vented his frustrations in an honest news conference at Soldier Field, Bears coach Matt Eberflus said the second-year quarterback was “in a good spot” as the team heads into a mini-bye weekend.
Eberflus said he met with Fields on Friday morning to discuss what’s next as the Bears recover and reflect before their Oct. 24 “Monday Night Football” game against the New England Patriots.
“I just said that, ‘Hey, I know we all have frustrations, but really just reset. Reset your mind. Have your eyes going forward,’ ” Eberflus said Friday at a news conference at Halas Hall. “‘Look forward to how we’re going to improve and how we’re going to get better.’ Because he did a lot of good things last night.”
The physical rest certainly will be good for Fields after he took a beating from a formidable Commanders defensive front that totaled 12 quarterback hits and five sacks. Fields said after the game that he aggravated a previous left shoulder injury. Eberflus said Fields was still sore Friday but added, “He’ll be OK.”
The Bears have to hope the time off also will be good for Fields mentally after he told reporters he was “tired of being almost there, tired of being just this close” following multiple questions about the team’s inability to score from within 5 yards of the end zone on three drives. That included a last-minute drive that ended with wide receiver Darnell Mooney coming up inches short of the goal line on what could have been the winning fourth-down catch.
Fields said repeatedly he was frustrated by the Bears’ inability to finish.
Eberflus understood Fields’ sentiments following the third straight loss by eight or fewer points and said that’s why he continues to stress the 24-hour rule for moving on from games.
“This game you have to play with passion,” Eberflus said. “You have to play with emotion. You have to do that to play it the right way. And you have to put yourself out there, and every time you play this game, a piece of you is left on the football field. It’s just the way it is.”
As Fields and his teammates regroup, Eberflus and the coaching staff plan to take the weekend to evaluate every player on the roster. They’ll come up with three things each is doing well and three things he needs to improve on and then map out a plan for that development.
They’ll also evaluate scheme in all three phases and assess lineups, taking a look at whether they’re putting players in the best spot to succeed and if they need to make changes ahead of what could be a tough slate of games with the Patriots and Dallas Cowboys on the road and the Miami Dolphins at home.
“Is there anything that can create competition at any position on the football team?” Eberflus said. “That’s healthy for us to be able to do that going forward.”
The Bears have a couple of obvious areas that need evaluation, starting with an offensive line that allowed the Commanders to disrupt Fields, who had 12 carries for 88 yards. Defensive end Montez Sweat, often going up against Bears rookie left tackle Braxton Jones, led the way with four of the 12 quarterback hits and a sack.
The Bears are a little more than two weeks away from facing a Cowboys defense that ranks second in the NFL with 20 sacks. And if they can’t upgrade their personnel with left guard Cody Whitehair sidelined by a knee injury, they can evaluate if their game plan is helping to protect Fields.
“The rhythm and timing of the passing game is all predicated on the movement passes, the pocket when you are dropping back, and those are all things that we’re going to keep looking at,” Eberflus said. “In terms of helping guys inside or outside more. Doing more things that can help the offensive line, that can help the receivers, that can help every group.”
The return game is another area that will require close evaluation after rookie Velus Jones Jr. muffed his second punt in three weeks, setting up the Commanders’ winning touchdown.
“No. 1 job of kick returner or punt returner is to catch the ball,” Eberflus said Thursday night. “So we are going to have to look at that.”
It will be a balance for the coaches, keeping perspective with young players who are growing while also pushing them to be better.
But Eberflus thinks Fields, for one, is in the proper frame of mind to continue that work.
“He’s got a great mindset going forward about the improvement and the things he’s got to work on with the offensive staff,” Eberflus said. “He’s in a good way right now.”
