Waking up to see the Bears at 1-0 is a wonderful feeling. Because even though there is so much for this team to work on, doing it after a win has to be easier than the alternative.
- Last year’s Chicago Bears team lost a bunch of games in the stupidest way possible. So for them to win absurdly in Week 1 to start the 2024 season makes me feel as if this team is starting to get its get-back.
- The behind-the-scenes access the Bears gave featuring Head Coach Matt Eberflus’ postgame speech was tremendous:
- I’m going to paraphrase an excellent point that Coach Flus made in the video above: It isn’t enough to have just one side of the ball be good. You need a full team effort. I was having this conversation last night with friends about how the Super Bowl champion has done it with excellence on just one side of the ball. Every winner needs a well-rounded effort. If the Bears want to be winners, then they need to win as a team.
- What really stood out here was Eberflus looking back to last year’s Bears team and how different this one was in comparison. This quote feels quite telling: “In the halftime, what was different about this team compared to other teams I’ve been around there was a lot of complaining and stuff like that in those old locker rooms. But it wasn’t like that. It was ‘We got this. We got this.’ Looking each other in the eye and saying that. ‘We got this.'” Suddenly, I’m wondering which transactions were made to clean up the locker room vibes.
- Vibes are cool. But I’m going to need these Bears to get off to better starts. That game felt too much like Week 1 2023. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad the Bears pulled it out. But back-to-back years being sloppy out of the gate doesn’t vibe with me. Is it the lack of preseason playing time? Could there be something else going on? I have questions surrounding team preparation. Hopefully, Coach Flus has answers.
- I sure hope Patrick is right here…
- … but I totally get the sentiment. If the Bears can win a game without playing their best, well-rounded game, then it is easy to dream of what it could look like when everything is firing on all cylinders. Maybe the early going of the regular season will be just an extension of the preseason with teams and players trying to feel things out. In the interest of fairness, I’m willing to give some leeway in the early part of the season.
- DeMarcus Walker shares a good piece of advice for Titans second-year quarterback Will Levis:
- Between DeMarcus Walker, Kevin Byard III, Nate Davis, and Khari Blasingame, there were a bunch of Bears who must’ve been glad to get a dub against their former team.
- A view from the other side:
- On the one hand, Jeffrey Simmons isn’t wrong. The Bears offense did nothing spectacular. Heck, they didn’t even do anything well. But on the other hand, LOL. You’re mad, big fella. And I’d be mad too after a game like that. Simmons, who got the ball rolling with the trash talk back in June, finished with 2 tackles, 1 tackle-for-loss, 0 sacks, and 0 quarterback hits. That’s a real shame. (Not really.)
- Let the record show that it wasn’t ALL bad for the Bears offense. Running back D’Andre Swift had a moment:
- Even though I am glad Hard Knocks is over, there is a part of me that wishes we’d get a Week 1 episode — especially after a training camp and preseason standout (defensive end Daniel Hardy) and a Hard Knocks prime focus (Jonathan Owens) combined on that blocked punt touchdown return that sparked the Bears’ comeback.
- This is one helluva way for Rome Odunze to make his first career NFL catch:
- There is a lot of good reading around the Bears web universe via The Athletic, Tribune, Sun-Times, and NBC Sports Chicago.
- Everyone in the NFC North registered a win over the weekend — except for the Green Bay Packers.
BEARS WIN! Player Grades From Week 1
- Hey, look who ended up in the win column on Sunday:
- Justin Fields completed 17 of 23 passes (73.9%), threw for 156 yards, added 57 rushing yards (on 14 carries), and posted a 91.9 passer rating as the Steelers beat the Falcons 18-10. All the points scored by Pittsburgh came off the leg of kicker Chris Boswell, who went 6-for-6 on the day, so don’t go championing this as some big “I told ya so” moment. Ultimately, I hope Fields plays well enough to stave off Russell Wilson, play at least 51 percent of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps, and net the Bears a 2025 fourth-round pick. Getting a Week 1 road win is a good place to start.
- Another notable line from that game belonged to Kirk Cousins, who did this in his Falcons debut: 16/26 (61.5%), 155 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 59.0 passer rating. Was Michael Penix Jr. the biggest winner of the rookie QBs in Week 1?
- No one does outlandish touchdown celebrations like Tyreek Hill:
- Oh, man. It just hit me. Drake has to be sick to his stomach knowing that two of his biggest ops have either done the Super Bowl halftime show (The Weeknd) or are about to (Kendrick Lamar) do it.
- Do I understand why there are fans who are upset that Lil’ Wayne isn’t the Super Bowl LIX halftime show performer? Yes. It would’ve been a nice touch to have the Louisiana native be the star in NOLA. But it’s not as if The Weeknd was from Tampa. Rihanna isn’t from Arizona and she still put on a whale of a halftime show. Even still … Kendrick should bring out Wayne, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, Master P, and pretty much anyone Louisiana-based for this show. My hopes are high. Go get ’em, Kendrick.
HAPPY BEARS VICTORY MONDAY! Check out The Bleacher Nation Newsletter
- Not only did the Bears pick up a big win, the Cubs did so, too, as they avoided a sweep at the hands of the Yankees. (BN Cubs)
- Players from other Chicago sports teams showed up on Sunday to support the Bears. Among them were some of the newest members of the Chicago Blackhawks: