LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Asked Sunday evening to evaluate quarterback Justin Fields performance in his team's 38-20 loss to the Packers, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus responded that he needed to watch the film before he could share a fair assessment.
By Monday afternoon, Eberflus had studied the tape and got a sense of how Fields played in the Bears’ ugly opener.
“He knows he can play better,” Eberflus said. “He knows that. He’s well aware of that, and he’s going to work diligently to do that. It's important that everybody looks that way. The offensive line, the receivers, the coaches, the defensive coaches, the defensive line, everybody. It’s all hands on deck to improve.
“We want to improve this season as we go. We want to be a stronger football team every single week. We have room for improvement, as you can see. So, we’re excited about getting that done. It's a challenge for our guys to work on that.”
Fields went 24-of-37 for 216 yards, one touchdown and an interception, which was returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Bears’ offense produced only 311 yards on a disappointing day of work.
The 24-year-old Fields is playing in the pivotal third season of his career, and he has completed 60% of his passes for 4,328 yards, 25 touchdowns and 22 interceptions over 28 career games.
On the other side Sunday, Packers quarterback Jordan Love shined in his second career start – and his debut as Green Bay’s newly anointed starter. He was 15-of-27 for 245 yards and three touchdowns in a strong performance at Soldier Field.
Eberflus was asked about the disparity in the performance between Fields, who was making his 26th career start, and the 24-year-old Love.
“I would just say this: It’s a long season, and we’re going to get better, and we’re going to focus on ourselves, and we’re going to improve,” Eberflus said.
“This is a little bump in the road. It’s adversity. Our guys have to persevere through that."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.