With the core of the Bears’ organization teetering as they entered the final stretch of the season, everybody got what they needed Sunday.
In their 28-13 win over the Lions, beleaguered coach Matt Eberflus picked up the best victory of his tenure, quarterback Justin Fields delivered two touchdowns to finish it and the Bears kept alive the idea of reclaiming their season.
Thirty games into his career, Eberflus finally won back-to-back games.
He and Fields found redemption against the opponent that embarrassed them last time they played. Whereas last month the Bears blew a 26-14 lead over the Lions with four minutes left in Detroit, the Bears went up 25-13 early in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field and never relented.
Fields put them ahead late in the third on a brilliant play. He drew a Lions defensive lineman offsides, then took advantage of the free play by perfectly leading DJ Moore into the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown pass.
The Lions fumbled the snap two plays later at their own 29-yard line, Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered it, and it wasn’t long before Fields scrambled 11 yards for a touchdown on third-and-goal for a two-score lead.
Unlike last time, that was it. The Bears looked competent and complete against a team that came in at 9-3 atop the NFC North.
Fields’ performance wasn’t always artful, but he was instrumental in the win. He completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers for an 88.3 passer rating and ran 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown.
That was more than enough to beat the Lions. It’s up to general manager Ryan Poles to decide if it’ll be enough in the long run and whether Fields can replicate it regularly.
With the Panthers losing to the Saints, the Bears still have a firm grasp on the No. 1 pick because they got the Panthers’ 2024 first-rounder in their trade this year. At 1-12, the Panthers have a two-game margin over the rest of the teams at the bottom of the league.
