CHICAGO (670 The Score) -- After drying off from the pouring rain at Soldier Field on Sunday, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus soaked in the feeling from a 19-10 victory over the 49ers that marked his first win in his position.
Eberflus shared his gratitude for the players' commitment, pointed to the scout team and how it has helped prepare the starters, credited his coaching staff for halftime adjustments and then even mentioned the support staff all throughout Halas Hall.
“Everybody in the building is part of a victory,” Eberflus said. “And I always tell them that. It takes everybody.”
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The satisfaction was genuine for the 52-year-old Eberflus, who's cherishing his first opportunity as a head coach at any level. He's appreciative of the Bears' commitment to his HITS principle, because he knows that it takes a lot from his players and staff to perform up to his expectations.
For their part, the Bears have recognized early on that Eberflus’ vision can work. They saw it first on tape during the offseason program, then progressed in the preseason before having a breakthrough Sunday to start the regular season. Eberflus earned his first victory because the Bears have believed in him.
"Everything that Eberflus has been preaching to us is starting to happen,” Bears guard Teven Jenkins said.
The players whom Eberflus inherited on the Bears’ roster have admitted it took time to buy in to the HITS principle – hustle, intensity, takeaways, (playing) smart. Veteran safety Eddie Jackson was initially skeptical, as was third-year cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Then they came to see it through Eberflus’ eyes.
Eberflus has told the Bears that late in tight games is one area where his HITS principle will pay off – that his team will be mentally and physically prepared to make plays and trained to outlast an opponent.
Trailing 10-0 in the middle of the third quarter Sunday, the Bears flipped the game upside down when quarterback Justin Fields escaped the pocket to his left and hit wide-open receiver Dante Pettis back to the right for a 51-yard touchdown. On the next possession, Fields capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive with an 18-yard touchdown throw to receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on a beautifully designed call from new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
The Bears then took full control after Jackson’s first interception since 2019, which set up a third straight touchdown drive, which was capped by running back Khalil Herbert’s three-yard touchdown run.
As the rain intensified late in the fourth quarter, 49ers quarterback Trey Lance was unable to throw the ball effectively or lead any comeback opportunity. The Bears were indeed stronger down the stretch than the 49ers and celebrated with belly flops on the drenched Bermuda grass in the north end zone. They felt it was a hard-earned victory.
“It’s just what we were built on,” Fields said. “(Eberflus) always says it’s mental and physical stamina, who can play the longest, the hardest, just play every play. I think we won this game with mental and physical stamina. I’m proud of the defense, proud of the O-line, just proud of everybody.
“The team as a whole just fought through adversity the whole game.”
Added Pettis: “There were ups and downs the whole time. But we stayed together as a team and we fought together.”
Eberflus adheres to the 24-hour rule for a celebration, and that was part of his message to the Bears after their first victory. He gave a hug to his mentor Gary Pinkel and was eager to celebrate the victory with his family, but Eberflus also had his mind focused on improvement.
The Bears punted six times and were 5-of-14 on third-down conversions. Fields and the offense managed only 204 yards of offense and a meager 3.6 yards per play. The Bears also fell shy of their goal of having a plus-three turnover differential, as they won that battle 2-1.
With all that in mind, Eberflus wanted his Bears to celebrate their first win together but also be ready to get back to work soon building their culture.
“We have something to stand on,” Eberflus said. “It’s not perfect. We have a lot of work to do. We have to get better as the season goes.
“You can start to feel that how it’s starting to pay off. Man, this hard work that we’re doing is really starting to work. It's winning football.
“It wasn’t perfect. We're 1-0. We got a lot to work on and we’ll go from there.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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