Justin Fields helped the Bears capitalize on sloppy play from the San Francisco 49ers by throwing two touchdown passes in the Bears’ opening season win.
Justin Fields took a step towards growth and confidence by keeping his eyes down the field and making key touchdowns.
The Bears were able to play a level of smart and disciplined football rarely seen in the Matt Nagy era committing only 3 penalties for 24 yards. The 49ers meanwhile had two turnovers, a key interception late in the game that allowed the Bears to put away the game.
Justin Fields thoroughly outplayed Trey Lance. Fields didn’t make many mistakes or errant throws, whereas Lance never found his rhythm. The Bears’ defensive line consistently got pressure on Lance whether it was Robert Quinn, rookie Dominique Robinson or Justin Jones from the 3-technique spot. The Bears had two sacks, four QB hits, and four tackles for a loss.
It was a clear buy-in from the franchise to Matt Eberflus’ ideology. The Bears hustled to the football consistently and as a result, good things happened. The Bears played with intelligence with only three penalties.
Because the Bears hustled consistently a broken play led to a touchdown pass to Dante Pettis.
Justin Fields then led the Bears on a 10-play 84-yard touchdown drive. The Bears gained 64 yards on their own and received an extra 20 yards from the 49ers in penalties. On the drive, Fields completed four passes for 58 yards and a touchdown to Equanimeous St. Brown.
Because Luke Getsy stubbornly stuck to the running game, Khalil Herbert barreled into the endzone for the game-clinching touchdown. Sticking with the running game was a key factor in slowing down the 49ers disruptive pass rush. The 49ers couldn’t get their pass rush going in the second half the same way they did early on.
Everything went right after everything seemed to go wrong in the first half. The difference seemed to be the fact that the Bears were able to settle down, control their emotions, and focus. The 49ers completely on the other hand unraveled.
As a result, the Bears stole a victory no one had planned on them getting. The biggest upset of the opening week of the NFL season could be enough momentum to catapult a season that exceeds most national prognosticators’ expectations. No the Bears don’t become an immediate playoff favorite, but they can prove that anything is possible on “any given Sunday.”
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