The Bulls’ Zach LaVine drives against the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Kevin Pangos in the first half of Sunday’s preseason game. | Tony Dejak/AP

Zach LaVine called it a good lesson learned, as the same Cavaliers team that the Bulls blew out of the building on Tuesday, showed up with a different attitude and physicality on Sunday.

CLEVELAND — J.B. Bickerstaff had a definite message to his team heading into Sunday night’s rematch with the Bulls.

“They need to feel us,” the Cavaliers coach said, referring to the idea that young teams could send a bad message to the opposition in the preseason if they appear soft.

Bickerstaff’s concern?

If a team appears to be a pushover in exhibition play, that tag could carry over into the regular season, especially against teams within the division.

Getting run out of the gym against the Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday by 36 points was unacceptable – preseason or not.

So there was definitely a different energy on Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Field House, even in the Bulls pulling it out late, 102-101.

Good thing for the Bulls, Billy Donovan doesn’t have that exact preseason mindset.

Not that visiting coach necessarily disagreed with Bickerstaff, but this Bulls roster has Donovan operating in a different head space. Not only was Donovan’s roster put together to win games, but to make a dent in the bigger picture.

“The way I look at it is with [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] and [general manager] Mark [Eversley] coming in, and talking to them, the way I look at it is can we really build a sustainable culture? Are we playing to a standard? Are we building a culture?” Donovan said. “The guys that were here last year, you kind of started that process, and then the roster flipped, so we’re back to that process now. What kind of standard are we going to play to? Those are the kinds of things you’re battling towards.

“We have to establish the culture more so than, ‘Hey, we won tonight, we lost tonight.’ Maybe you win some games because you’re talented, but is what we’re doing sustainable? Can we be a sustainable team? Like, ‘OK, we won tonight, but this is not going to be sustainable against the highest-level teams.’ So what are we doing to build something that is sustainable to compete at the very highest level.”

What they’ve been doing early in this preseason was playing defense at a high level, staying relatively turnover free, and sharing the ball.

Midway through the fourth quarter — or when the regulars were basically done playing — the Bulls had allowed the Cavs to shoot 47% from the field, while looking very different in the ball movement department that was displayed in the first two games.

The starters finished their night with nine assists, turning it over 11 times.

But even on a night in which the play was less than stellar, an average showing by the Bulls (3-0) is better than a Cleveland team trying to throw haymakers.

Still, lesson learned.

“You can learn from every game,” guard Zach LaVine said. “We didn’t come out with the same aggressiveness on offense or defense, and that showed. It doesn’t matter who you played, these are all NBA players. They came out the more physical team.

“And that’s on us.”

The one highlight of the game? Chicago’s own Ayo Dosunmu riding in on the horse and playing hero. Not only did the former Illinois standout score nine points in the seven minutes down the stretch, but hit the basket to put the Bulls up three with 13.8 seconds left.

“He doesn’t have any fear at all,” LaVine said of the rookie. “He’s stone cold. Doesn’t care about the situation. He’s going to go in there and play his heart out. He pretty much won us the game.”

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Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson celebrates as he runs off the field after Sunday’s win over the Raiders. | David Becker/AP

The Bears leave the desert with an impressive victory.

Mark Potash, Jason Lieser and Patrick Finley break down the Bears’ impressive road win against the Raiders, and what it means for both quarterback Justin Fields and their dominant defense.

New episodes of “Halas Intrigue” will be published regularly with accompanying stories collected on the podcast’s hub page. You can also listen to “Halas Intrigue” wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Luminary, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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Iowa wide receiver Nico Ragaini (89) reacts after scoring a touchdown in front of Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown (16) during the Hawkeyes’ 23-20 win Saturday. | Matthew Putney/AP

Georgia moves to No. 1 after Alabama’s loss.

Georgia was the new No. 1 in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday by a unanimous vote, taking the top spot during the regular season for the first time since November 1982.

The Bulldogs (62 first-place votes) moved up one spot in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, a day after preseason No. 1 Alabama lost at Texas A&M. The defending national champion Crimson Tide slipped four spots to No. 5 after its first loss of the season.

After falling out of the rankings last week for the first time this season, the Aggies are back in at No. 21.

Alabama was one of two top-five teams to lose Saturday, opening the door for several teams to rise to rare heights.

Iowa is No 2, up one spot after winning a top-five matchup with Penn State. The Hawkeyes have their best ranking since they reached No. 1 in 1985.

No. 3 Cincinnati has its best ranking ever.

No. 4 Oklahoma moved up two spots after a come-from-behind victory against Texas in the Red River Rivalry.

No. 5 Alabama had a run of 14 straight polls at No. 1 snapped. It is out of the top three for the first time since 2019.

The Big Ten dominates the back half of the top 10 with Ohio State at No. 6, Penn State at No. 7, Michigan at eighth and Michigan State 10th. The Big Ten has five top-10 teams for the first time in the history of the AP poll, which dates to 1936.

Oregon slipped in at No. 9. Kentucky moved up five spots to No. 11 for the Wildcats’ best ranking since 2011.

POLL POINTS

— The last time Georgia was No. 1 was the 2008 preseason poll, but the Bulldogs slipped after the first week of games — even though they won — and has not been back.

This is the 16th time overall the Bulldogs have held the top ranking and the first time they have been a unanimous No. 1.

OUT

Auburn dropped out of the rankings after losing for the second time this season. The Tigers were the latest team smothered by Georgia’s dominant defense.

Auburn did manage to score an offensive touchdown against the Bulldogs, just the second one this season yielded by Georgia.

CONFERENCE CALL

The only other league that has had half the top 10 in the rankings is the Southeastern Conference, which has done it 23 times, according to ESPN.

Not including last season when some FBS teams were ineligible for the poll early in the season because their conferences were not planning on playing a fall schedule, the last time the SEC had five top-10 teams was the final regular-season poll of 2019.

SEC — 7 (Nos. 1, 5, 11, 13, 17, 20, 21).

Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 2, 6, 7, 8, 10).

Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 4, 12, 25).

ACC — 2 (Nos. 16, 22).

American — 2 (Nos. 3, 23).

Pac-12 — 2 (Nos. 9, 18).

Mountain West — 1 (No. 24).

Sun Belt — 1 (No. 15).

Independent — 2 (Nos. 14, 19).

RANKED vs. RANKED

No. 11 Kentucky at No. 1 Georgia. The de facto SEC East championship.

No. 12 Oklahoma State at No. 25 Texas. The Longhorns get a crack at the other undefeated Big 12 team this week after a crushing loss to Oklahoma on Saturday.

THE TOP 25

1. Georgia 6-0

2. Iowa 6-0

3. Cincinnati 5-0

4. Oklahoma 6-0

5. Alabama 5-1

6. Ohio St. 5-1

7. Penn St. 5-1

8. Michigan 6-0

9. Oregon 4-1

10. Michigan St. 6-0

11. Kentucky 6-0

12. Oklahoma St. 5-0

13. Mississippi 4-1

14. Notre Dame 5-1

15. Coastal Carolina 6-0

16. Wake Forest 6-0

17. Arkansas 4-2

18. Arizona St. 5-1

19. BYU 5-1

20. Florida 4-2

21. Texas A&M 4-2

22. NC State 4-1

23. SMU 6-0

24. San Diego St. 5-0

25. Texas 4-2

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Rookie running back Khalil Herbert (24) had 18 carries for 75 yards in the Bears’ 20-9 victory over the Raiders on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. | David Becker/AP

With David Montgomery on injured reserve, Damien Williams (16 carries, 64 yards, one TD) and rookie Khalil Herbert (18-75) ably filled the void — just like the good offenses do. “There’s a little bit of an identity going on right now,” coach Matt Nagy said of the run game.

LAS VEGAS — When Bears coach Matt Nagy referenced Kareem Hunt replacing Spencer Ware for the Chiefs in 2017 in response to a question about filling David Montgomery’s role in the offense, you could feel Bears fans collectively rolling their eyes.

Nagy’s offense is not the Chiefs offense. And the idea of the Bears just plugging in one weapon to replace another like many good NFL offenses do didn’t really compute. The Bears aren’t there yet.

But lo and behold, the Bears pulled it off against a capable Raiders defense in a 20-9 victory Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. Damien Williams (16 carries, 64 yards, one touchdown) and rookie Khalil Herbert (18-75) were a productive, complementary tandem as the Bears rushed for 143 yards on 37 carries.

The last time Montgomery was out, the Bears turned to Cordarrelle Patterson (12-30) and Artavis Pierce (3-9) and had 17 carries for 41 yards (2.4 avg.) in a 19-13 loss to the Vikings at Soldier Field last Nov. 20. This is progress.

“I know [Montgomery] is at home now watching this and he’s proud,” Nagy said. “For Damien Williams to step up and have 16 carries. For Khalil Herbert to come in as a rookie and run the ball like he did — that’s impressive.

“It talks to the offensive line and the tight ends. It talks a lot to those running backs. It talks a lot to our coaches for getting those guys ready. I think you guys [reporters] would probably agree there’s a little bit of an identity going on right now.”

Indeed, the Bears success on the ground against the Raiders was a testament to not only the Bears’ depth at running back, but arguably more so to their offense, which has placed a greater emphasis on establishing the run with offensive coordinator Bill Lazor calling plays. The Bears not only used three tight ends, but even used offensive lineman Alex Bars as a third tackle to facilitate the run, including on Williams’ four-yard touchdown run.

It was one thing to do that against the Lions. Doing it against the Raiders is a step further in the right direction.

“I just think Bill Lazor has done a phenomenal job to get guys in rhythm and be able to feel who’s hot and where we’re at,” Nagy said. “The other coaches on the staff being able to help out — it’s a group deal. Everybody included is what makes this special. Some of that stuff is where we feel like we have a strength.”

It all came together particularly on the Bears’ 16-play, 86-yard scoring drive that used up 8:17 of the clock and gave them a 14-3 lead with 1:56 left in the first half. Herbert and Williams each had four carries for 23 yards in the drive, with Williams scoring from the 4-yard line on a nifty spin move that had even Justin Fields envious.

“When I saw that, I just stood there and I was like, ‘Yo, that was crazy.’ I wish I could do that,” Fields said. “That’s all I’ve got to say about that. I wish I could do that.”

Williams has played this role before with the Chiefs in 2017 and 2018. But Herbert’s success might be more promising. The sixth-round draft pick from Virginia Tech came into game with three rushes for seven yards.

“Man, I was telling him all game — especially coming out in the second half — ‘This is on you now,'” Williams said. “I gave my first blows in the first half. Now it’s your turn to get your blows in.’ As a young kid coming into this environment, he held himself great.

“He’s a very consistent person and I feel like if he continues to do that, he’s going to have a long, long future.”

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Jon Gruden coaches the Raiders against the Bears on Sunday. | Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Raiders coach Jon Gruden apologized Sunday for a 2011 email, uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, in which he used a racist trope to describe NFLPA executive director leader DeMaurice Smith’s lips.

LAS VEGAS — Raiders coach Jon Gruden apologized Sunday for a 2011 email, uncovered by the Wall Street Journal, in which he used a racist trope to describe NFLPA executive director leader DeMaurice Smith’s lips.

“I’m not a racist,” Gruden said in a brief press conference after losing 20-9 to the Bears. “I can’t tell you how sick I am. I apologize again to De Smith … I had no racial intention with those remarks at all. I’m not like that at all. I apologize. I don’t want to keep addressing it.”

Raiders players said Gruden met with the team before the story was published and told them about the emails, which also included Gruden — who wasn’t coaching then — ripping commissioner Roger Goodell during the lockout.

“I’ve been around this guy for three years now … He’s never rubbed me a certain way, that type of way …” running back Josh Jacobs said. “I definitely trust him. It was 10 years ago. People grow.”

Quarterback Derek Carr said he and his teammates told Gruden they had his back.

“He told us, ‘Men, learn from my mistake,'” Carr said.

The controversy had nothing to do with the Raiders falling flat Sunday, Jacobs said.

“The last couple weeks we’ve been coming out flat, starting early in the game,” he said.

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Zach LaVine called it a good lesson learned, as the same Cavaliers team that the Bulls blew out of the building on Tuesday, showed up with a different attitude and physicality on Sunday.

CLEVELAND – J.B. Bickerstaff had a definite message to his team heading into Sunday night’s rematch with the Bulls.

“They need to feel us,” the Cavaliers coach said, referring to the idea that young teams could send a bad message to the opposition in the preseason if they appear soft.

Bickerstaff’s concern?

If a team appears to be a pushover in exhibition play, that tag could carry over into the regular season, especially against teams within the division.

Getting run out of the gym against the Bulls in Chicago on Tuesday by 36 points was unacceptable – preseason or not.

So there was definitely a different energy on Sunday at the Rocket Mortgage Field House, even in the Bulls pulling it out late, 102-101.

Good thing for the Bulls, Billy Donovan doesn’t have that exact preseason mindset.

Not that visiting coach necessarily disagreed with Bickerstaff, but this Bulls roster has Donovan operating in a different head space. Not only was Donovan’s roster put together to win games, but to make a dent in the bigger picture.

“The way I look at it is with [executive vice president of basketball operations] Arturas [Karnisovas] and [general manager] Mark [Eversley] coming in, and talking to them, the way I look at it is can we really build a sustainable culture? Are we playing to a standard? Are we building a culture?” Donovan said. “The guys that were here last year, you kind of started that process, and then the roster flipped, so we’re back to that process now. What kind of standard are we going to play to? Those are the kinds of things you’re battling towards.

“We have to establish the culture more so than, ‘Hey, we won tonight, we lost tonight.’ Maybe you win some games because you’re talented, but is what we’re doing sustainable? Can we be a sustainable team? Like, ‘OK, we won tonight, but this is not going to be sustainable against the highest-level teams.’ So what are we doing to build something that is sustainable to compete at the very highest level.”

What they’ve been doing early in this preseason was playing defense at a high level, staying relatively turnover free, and sharing the ball.

Midway through the fourth quarter – or when the regulars were basically done playing – the Bulls had allowed the Cavs to shoot 47% from the field, while looking very different in the ball movement department that was displayed in the first two games.

The starters finished their night with nine assists, turning it over 11 times.

But even on a night in which the play was less than stellar, an average showing by the Bulls (3-0) is better than a Cleveland team trying to throw haymakers.

Still, lesson learned.

“You can learn from every game,” guard Zach LaVine said. “We didn’t come out with the same aggressiveness on offense or defense, and that showed. It doesn’t matter who you played, these are all NBA players. They came out the more physical team.

“And that’s on us.”

The one highlight of the game? Chicago’s own Ayo Dosunmu riding in on the horse and playing hero. Not only did the former Illinois standout score nine points in the seven minutes down the stretch, but hit the basket to put the Bulls up three with 13.8 seconds left.

“He doesn’t have any fear at all,” LaVine said of the rookie. “He’s stone cold. Doesn’t care about the situation. He’s going to go in there and play his heart out. He pretty much won us the game.”

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Quarterback Justin Fields celebrates the Bears’ win Sunday. | Photo by Chris Unger/Getty Images

At times, Bears fans were so loud that it felt like a home game.

LAS VEGAS — Visiting for the first time to watch their favorite team, Bears fans occupied maybe 40% of Allegiant Stadium during Sunday’s 20-9 win against the Raiders. At times, they were so loud that it felt like a home game.

“I”m not used to playing away games where you have a crowd that can rival the home crowd,” said tight end Jesper Horsted, who caught a second-quarter touchdown. “And especially for this game, they were making so much noise, which really disturbs the opposing offense. And you saw a lot of penalties that are caused solely because of that.”

Bears coach Matt Nagy talks often about Bears fans who travel en masse.

“But [Sunday] it felt … it was impactful,” he said.

The feeling was “amazing,” safety Eddie Jackson said.

“It was crazy to really see how our fans travel and come on the road,” he said. “They helped us a lot. They kept us fired up, kept us pumped up. Just to hear the support out there that we have from the fans, we really appreciate.”

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Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was flagged in the end zone Sunday. | David Becker/AP

Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith didn’t agree with the flag he received for unnecessary roughness Sunda

LAS VEGAS — Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith didn’t agree with the flag he received for unnecessary roughness Sunday after he hit receiver Willie Snead in the end zone on second-and-goal in the fourth quarter.

“I thought that was BS,” he said after the Bears’ 20-9 win at Allegiant Stadium. “I was like, ‘unnecessary?’ …. I’ll have to look back at it but I don’t think I put my helmet in there. I think I put my shoulder in and then they called it.

“And so it’s a flag, but it is what it is.”

Injury update

Starting right tackle Germain Ifedi hurt his knee in the second quarter and didn’t return. He was replaced by tackle Elijah Wilkinson. The Bears like Wilkinson better on the right side than the left, but losing Ifedi would be a blow to a thin unit.

Second-round pick Teven Jenkins is on injured reserve after having back surgery. So is Larry Borom, who hurt his ankle in the opener. He is eligible to return whenever healthy.

In the fourth quarter, the Bears ruled out outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu out with a pec injury. Inside linebacker Caleb Johnson hurt his knee on kickoff coverage in the second quarter and did not return.

Bears coach Matt Nagy said they’ll be evaluated Monday.

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The Raiders’ Quinton Jefferson celebrates a sack of Bears quarterback Justin Fields by teammate Yannick Ngakoue on Sunday. | Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Solid running game takes a lot of pressure off the rookie quarterback in a 20-9 victory over the Raiders.

Here’s a recipe for long-term success for the Bears: Play smothering defense, run the ball well, save Justin Fields’ life.

Not necessarily in that order. Actually, not at all in that order.

It might not be the most exciting approach, might not fulfill your deep desire to see the very athletic Fields do his thing, but it can to lead to a victory and an upright, breathing, not dribbling-down-his-chin rookie quarterback.

The moral of the Bears’ 20-9 win over the Raiders on Sunday is that just because you’re in Las Vegas doesn’t mean you should gamble with your future’s future. It took a while for the message to be delivered. There was a crushing first-quarter hit on Fields that brought a wince to him, to his team and to his many admirers in Chicago. He also had to leave the game briefly in the second quarter with a leg injury.

This can’t be overstated: Stop that, Bears.

But with Fields eventually walking away in one piece, the result and that message were all that mattered on this day.

Fields, who finally was handed the starting quarterback job midweek, got his second straight victory. He was able to get it because rookie Khalil Herbert and veteran Damien Williams, filling in for an injured David Montgomery, combined for 139 rushing yards. Those yards made life miserable for the Raiders and helped lead to a solid advantage in possession time for the Bears.

Fields completed 12 of 20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. He averaged a puny 5.6 yards per attempt, but that was much more a footnote than a story.

Head coach Matt Nagy will tell you that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is calling the plays now but that the Bears’ game plans are very much a collegial production. All I know is that whichever coach is in charge of making sure Fields remains safe needs to get a little better at that.

The Bears brought in extra protection to help an offensive line that needs lots of it. The line can run block, but it wouldn’t want to put pass blocking on its resume. Until it learns to do that, a vanilla offense is the best approach.

Fields got the wind knocked out him on a big hit to the ribs by Raiders safety Johnathan Abram in the first quarter. It was scary. He looked vulnerable and somehow reduced. But he bounced back.

“I’m going to put myself out there to win games,” Fields said. “That’s what (fans) can expect from me, just every play, every game. I’m going to give it my all.”

“That son of a buck is tough,” Nagy said.

He is. But there’s no need to prove it. If the Bears are going to continue to be successful, it’s incumbent on them to keep running the ball in order to keep Fields out of harm’s way.

He was at his best in the fourth quarter, after the Raiders had cut the lead to 14-9. He had a huge completion on a third-and-12 to Darnell Mooney, putting the ball in a window the size of a bucket for a first down. It led to field goal and breathing room. Fields will grow from that play confidence-wise, and, eventually, opposing defenses will have to honor his ability to make plays.

Some day, he might even be in a position to take full advantage of his talents. That day isn’t here yet.

“Once we get rolling like that, we’re a scary offense,” said Williams, who scored a touchdown.

He might be getting ahead of himself, maybe a few football fields ahead of himself, but you understand the enthusiasm. The Raiders presented more problems for the Bears’ offense than the Lions had the week before. In that regard, this victory was worth more. Coaches like to talk about their teams’ identity. Hopefully, Nagy was paying attention. This should be the Bears’ identity until general manager Ryan Pace finds him an offensive line. Or until another Bears GM finds another Bears head coach an offensive line.

If the team continues to play good defense, life will be a lot easier for Fields. It was soooooo hard to gain ground against that wall Sunday. The Raiders tried and tried. Over and over again, Khalil Mack and his teammates said no. If you’re a fan of offense, watching Derek Carr try to move the ball was excruciating. If you’re a fan of the Bears, it was beautiful.

There are still a lot of spills on a lot of the Bears’ aisles. They continue to struggle with on-field discipline. Dumb penalties are a theme five games into the season. That will eventually bite them if it continues.

But the Bears are 3-2 after two straight victories. No one is thinking about penalties.

All anyone is thinking about is Fields’ continued well-being.

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Bears outside linebacker Khalil Mack tackles quarterback Nathan Peterman on Sunday. | Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

This was the Bears defense we’ve been waiting for — the kind that can take over a game, at home or on the road. One that punches back.

LAS VEGAS — As Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder prepared to put on one of Sin City’s biggest boxing matches in years Saturday night, Bears coach Matt Nagy gathered his team at its Lake Las Vegas hotel. Sunday’s game against the Raiders, he told them, was going to be a brawl.

“This was going to be a fistfight in a back alley,” Nagy told his team.

The Bears were ready. In one of the most meaningful wins in Nagy’s three-and-a-half year coaching career, rookie quarterback Justin Fields proved his toughness over and over again. The Bears’ run game bullied the Raiders even with David Montgomery on injured reserve. But most importantly, the Bears defense hammered the NFL’s top-ranked passing offense in a 20-9 win at Allegiant Stadium.

“It was huge,” inside linebacker Roquan Smith said. “Not many people had us doing what we did.”

This was the Bears defense we’ve been waiting for — the kind that can take over a game, at home or on the road. One that punches back.

“We just wanted to dominate,” safety Eddie Jackson said.

They did.

The Raiders averaged 4.3 yards per play, the fewest the Bears have allowed all year.

Five of the Raiders’ 10 drives Sunday yielded eight yards or less. Two ended on downs. In the second quarter, inside linebacker Roquan Smith stuffed running back Josh Jacobs on fourth-and-1. On the stop that sealed the game, the Bears, up eight with two minutes to play, forced a Derek Carr incompletion on fourth-and-5.

Carr, who led the NFL in passing yards entering Sunday’s game, went 22-for-35 for 206 yards and an interception. His 67.1 passer rating was the 15th worst of his career, in which he started 115 games.

Carr was sacked three times. Khalil Mack, whom the Raiders traded to the Bears for a pile of draft picks in 2018, had one — and a second on a two-point conversion that didn’t count statistically.

“He made them regret everything,” Jackson said. “Made them regret not wanting to keep him. You know, Mack’s our leader. He’s had games like this. We fuel off that.”

The Bears said Mack was unavailable to talk after the game. Mack made no secret of his motivation to play his old team, particularly after he was practically shut out against the Raiders two years ago this week in London.

Jackson said the Bears wanted revenge against Raiders coach Jon Gruden, who mocked “Club Dub” in his locker room speech after the Bears’ London loss.

“Fuel to the fire,” he said.

Nagy pointed to the long, angry airplane ride home to the States.

“I don’t care what anybody says, you remember that …” Nagy said. “[Mack] was part of that and he understands that. I think all of our guys, we talked about, it’s the mindset of making sure our guys know that we weren’t coming in here to play – this was going to be a fight. He knew that.

“And so Khalil’s in a leadership role to make sure other guys see how he plays in this moment.”

Playing with inside linebacker Danny Trevathan in a part-time role but without injured Akiem Hicks, the Bears seem to have found a formula — although one as old as the franchise itself.

“I feel like that’s been a Bears thing,” Jackson said. “That’s Chicago Bears — the defense go out there and play, try to hold them to no points.”

Or nine. Only three times in the Nagy era had the Bears allowed fewer points than the Raiders’ nine. That dominance, more than any other reason, is why the Bears are in a markedly different place after Sunday’s win than they were just eight days earlier.

Nagy was asked what he learned about his team since their embarrassing loss to the Browns in Week 3.

“We fight, plain and simple,” Nagy said. “I don’t make it hard. I just make it real simple. And these guys, they fight.”

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