LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- When he was hired as the Bears' new head coach in late January, Matt Eberflus was tasked with two key assignments. He was asked to build a winning culture for the franchise and to oversee second-year quarterback Justin Fields' development.
Early on this season, those two goals have proved to be mutually exclusive. The Bears are 2-1 under Eberflus' watch after earning a 23-20 win over the Texans on Sunday at Soldier Field, but the 23-year-old Fields has significantly struggled.
The Bears hope to see key strides from Fields as he progresses in their new offense, but Eberflus on Monday indicated the team won’t sacrifice its chances at victory in order to cater to what's best for its young quarterback's long-term future.
“We’re doing everything we can to win the game,” Eberflus said when asked about balancing that priority with Fields' development. “That’s the most important thing. What’s the style we would have to play to win that particular game? And it changes. It changes week to week. This week, we were in a mode where it was a style that we had to play to win the game, and it came out on the right end.”
The Bears rushed for 281 yards in the win against the Texans, led by running back Khalil Herbert’s 157 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Chicago ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards but 32nd in passing yards.
Fields was 8-of-17 for 106 yards and two interceptions Sunday. He's 23-of-45 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions through three games. Five quarterbacks are averaging more yards per game than Fields has thrown for all season.
The Bears have rushed 104 times for 560 yards and four touchdowns this season, compared to just 45 passing attempts for 235 net yards. No Chicago receiver has surpassed 100 yards on the season, and the team’s second-leading receiver in yardage is Dante Pettis, who has one catch for 51 yards – that coming on a broken play in the season opener on Sept. 11.
"We recognize on offense that we got a lot of work to do,” said Bears tight end Cole Kmet, who has two catches for 40 yards. “We want to be the reason why we win games.”
The Bears (2-1) visit the New York Giants (2-1) on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
Listen live to 670 The Score via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker