(670 The Score) The Bears broke through with their best and most complete performance of the season Monday night, earning a 33-14 win over the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
Here are the observations from the Bears’ surprising victory.
Forging an identity
Through seven weeks, the Bears have the top rushing offense in the NFL, averaging 181.0 yards per game on the ground. It’s the foundation of the identity that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has built for second-year quarterback Justin Fields and his unit.
The Bears rushed for 243 yards against the Patriots, marking the third time they've run for at least 237 yards in a game this season. The success was a credit to everybody involved.
Interestingly, no single Bears rusher surpassed 100 yards. Fields led the way with a career-high 14 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown, taking advantage of more designed rushes from Getsy. In the backfield, David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert had balance in their workloads. Montgomery had 15 carries for 62 yards, while Herbert rushed 12 times for 62 yards.
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It marked the first time in Herbert’s career that he had double-digit carries while Montgomery was also active, as the Bears made good on their intention to create a backfield tandem. If Getsy has his way, that won’t be a one-game blip for Herbert.
After the Bears’ first loss of the season, a 27-10 setback to the Packers on Sept. 18, Getsy stood by Chicago’s offensive identity despite just 48 net passing yards on a night that Fields went 7-of-11 for 70 yards. The offense appeared unbalanced on paper, but Getsy pointed to how there would be increased opportunities in the passing game for Fields because of an established running game.
On Monday, the running game indeed created chances in the passing game. Fields was 13-of-21 for 179 yards, one touchdown and a deflected interception. Fields showed greater comfort with a moving pocket and took advantage of the opportunities in front of him.
Fields connected four times for 48 yards with receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who was more of a focal point in the Bears’ passing game. Top target Darnell Mooney had three key catches for 53 yards as his connection with Fields continues to grow.
The Bears ran their offense with a purpose Monday and have continued to see growth on that side of the football.
Rookies shine
The Bears’ rookie class had an encouraging performance against the Patriots.
Safety Jaquan Brisker hauled in his first career interception with a spectacular one-handed catch over Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith, but perhaps the most impressive aspect of the play was how Brisker read the throw the entire way and made an aggressive break on the pass.
Cornerback Kyler Gordon also produced his first career interception late in the game, snaring a pass from Patriots rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe and nearly running it back for a touchdown before running out of gas. Gordon has continued to improve after a rocky start to his rookie season.
Left tackle Braxton Jones had one of his better performances of the season, grading out at a 76.5, according to Pro Football Focus. He had a well-rounded effort in both run and pass blocking, with Jones not allowing a sack.
Bears rookie defensive lineman Dominique Robinson also read the eyes of Zappe and put himself in position to deflect a pass, which was then intercepted by linebacker Roquan Smith. It was a smart play that produced one of the Bears' four takeaways.
Props for Mustipher
It couldn’t have been easy for Sam Mustipher to find out that for the first time in two years, he wasn't starting for the Bears at center. The team benched Mustipher and shifted veteran Lucas Patrick to that position.
But when Patrick went down with a right toe injury, Mustipher stepped back in admirably and produced one of his best games of the season. Reserves are constantly told to prepare as if they're the starter, but that can be hard to digest after being benched. Mustipher clearly put in the work to be ready when he was called upon again, which is why he's so well-respected by his teammates.
Extra points
-- So, who saw that performance coming? The Bears have made national audiences suffer plenty in primetime games. That was their most fun game – day or night – in a long time.
-- Matt Eberflus and the Bears outcoached Bill Belichick and his staff. Belichick even admitted it after the game.
-- The Bears had indicated that rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr. would have an expanded role on offense. But he took just 13 snaps on offense while relinquishing punt returning duties to receiver Dante Pettis. That’s a curious development.
-- Brisker certainly found a way to kick back at Patriots quarterback Mac Jones after taking an errant spike to the junk. That interception was something else.
-- Zappe's emergence with the Patriots is an example of why teams shouldn't be afraid to draft quarterbacks even when they believe their starter is in place. Draft, develop and see what you have. The Bears have drafted two quarterbacks since 2014: first-round picks Mitchell Trubisky (2017) and Fields (2021).
-- Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams seems to have found more comfort, and that has included more aggression with disguised blitzes on third downs.
-- The Bears prevented Belichick from surpassing George Halas on the all-times wins list. Isn’t that fitting?
-- Maybe this Bears season can be fun.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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