CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Inside the Bears’ victorious locker room in the northwest corner of Soldier Field following their 28-13 win over the Lions on Sunday, head coach Matt Eberflus shared a message of gratitude to his team.
Eberflus pointed to the adversity that the Bears have endured this season and across his two years as head coach, a tenure that has been marked by growing pains amid a rebuild and self-inflicted firestorms. Finally, the Bears have won consecutive games for the first time since 2021, and the progress that Eberflus hoped to display is coming into focus.
With that in mind, Eberflus thanked the Bears for keeping their conviction and remaining invested.
“We could feel this coming,” Eberflus said after his team improved to 5-8. “The improvement was happening over time. I just kept telling them if you keep doing right, it’s going to be right. Good things are going to happen.
“The guys always stayed together.”
Early in the fourth quarter Sunday, the Bears held a 25-13 lead over the NFC North-leading Lions. It was a similar scenario to what they were in three weeks ago at Ford Field, when the Bears squandered a 12-point lead in the final 4:15 of a 31-26 loss to the Lions.
That was the type of gut-wrenching loss that could’ve sent the Bears into a freefall and potentially cost Eberflus his job as head coach. Amid the raw emotions in that losing locker room, Eberflus shared a message of hope.
Eberflus has always maintained the Bears were close to a breakthrough. In back-to-back games, they’ve now closed out wins against the division rival Vikings and Lions, a stamp of progress moving forward.
Like Eberflus, Bears players believe the victories aren’t outliers but rather a promising sign of what’s to come.
"We're all coming together as a team,” quarterback Justin Fields said.
Fields threw for 233 yards and a touchdown in the Sunday while adding 58 yards and a rushing score on the ground. The Bears didn’t commit a turnover in the win, and Fields hasn’t thrown an interception across the past three games.
Facing a fourth-and-13 with the game tied late in the third quarter, the Bears elected to keep their offense on the field at the Lions’ 38-yard line. Fields drew the Lions offsides with a hard count, then used the free play to take a deep shot to top receiver DJ Moore, who hauled in the strike for a go-ahead 38-yard touchdown.
Since returning on Nov. 19 from a thumb injury, Fields has notably ascended and is making a statement to finish the season.
"He's still growing and getting better every week,” Moore said. “These last four games, you might see some spectacular out of him."
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Bears’ primary objective is no longer just lip service. They’re striving to win out and finish 9-8, which would give them a chance to earn a wild-card berth in the playoffs. What seemed to be a significant long shot just weeks ago became slightly more possible with the Bears’ galvanizing victory over the Lions.
Regardless of what happens in the coming weeks, the Bears’ belief underscores their commitment to each other. They aren’t just saying they’re getting better anymore. They’re also proving it.
“To have a win like this, it’s proof for those guys,” Eberflus said. “It’s proof for our staff, it’s proof for the Chicago Bears fans.
“It’s coming in the right direction, and you can certainly feel that on the field.”
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.