Chairman George McCaskey on Friday laid out what he wanted to see from the Bears — and new coach Matt Eberflus — this season.
‘‘Wins are always a gauge of success and progress,’’ he said. ‘‘Beyond that, I’d like to see some of the themes that Matt has been emphasizing: discipline, smart play, hustle, swarming defense, takeaways, going for the ball. Three-and-outs. Getting the run game going. Minimizing mistakes. And learning from mistakes.
‘‘He talks about getting better each week. That’s a good gauge.’’
So far, so good. The Bears have plenty to fix after their opener — ‘‘This will be a big week for us for our improvement,’’ Eberflus said Monday — but they get to do so while sitting at 1-0.
Here’s a look at three plays that were key in their 19-10 victory Sunday against the 49ers:
Scramble drill
To understand why Justin Fields’ off-script 51-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis mattered, you have to go back to early August, when receiver Darnell Mooney explained that the Bears didn’t work on scramble drills under former coach Matt Nagy last season. That seemed unconscionable, given that scrambling is one of Fields’ strengths. Bears receivers should have known what to do when he took off.
‘‘We had the system, but we just never worked on it,’’ Mooney said.
This year, they have. It showed Sunday.
On third-and-10 from the Bears’ 49, Fields took a shotgun snap and was under pressure immediately. Arik Armstead beat rookie left tackle Braxton Jones and was ready to hit Fields when the quarterback spun left, sending Armstead tumbling to the wet ground. Charles Omenihu, who rushed over right tackle, chased Fields but tripped over Armstead, who was on the ground.
As he rolled left, Fields kept his eyes downfield.
Pettis had lined up to the right and ran an over route before breaking for the right sideline. When Fields rolled left, linebacker Dre Greenlaw, sitting in a zone defense, slid toward him, leaving Pettis wide-open. Pettis did nothing special, other than realizing he was open, stopping and waving his hands.
With his right heel near the number 40 stenciled on the left side of the field, Fields heaved a pass to Pettis, who caught the ball, followed a beautiful block from Equanimeous St. Brown at the 15-yard line and ran in for the score.
The Bears circled that block in team meetings Monday as an example of ‘‘finishing’’ a play.
‘‘Finishing for the guys around you, not just yourself,’’ receiver Byron Pringle said. ‘‘So that was great that EQ came through and blocked for Dante on the touchdown.’’
Receivers have rules on scramble drills — to get open and in the quarterback’s line of sight and to avoid being at the same depth as a teammate. Defenders do, too.
‘‘You have to plaster them with your eyes and your body [on defense],’’ Eberflus said. ‘‘What happens is you start to look back, and [Pettis] wiggles away and you lose him. . . .
‘‘The vision by Justin to see that and throw it back there was a great play. That’s the kind of plays he can make. That’s what makes him dangerous. Because he can throw on schedule, he’s got the off-schedule throws, too. We’ve always said he’s an outstanding deep-ball thrower. He can throw the ball deep accurately.’’
On the other hand . . .
Fields struggled for most of the first half and never more spectacularly than when he threw an interception halfway through the first quarter.
On third-and-seven from the Bears’ 35, Fields took a shotgun snap. Pettis, split left, and St. Brown, split right, each ran a curl route. Mooney, in the right slot, ran up the right seam. Tight end Cole Kmet sprung open in the right flat.
Fields should have thrown the ball there, even though it was short of the sticks.
‘‘I’ve just gotta not force anything down the field,’’ Fields said. ‘‘Just take the checkdown, and maybe he catches the ball before the sticks and breaks a tackle and gets the first down.’’
Fields thought Mooney was open and was wrong. As he threw the ball, there were three defenders between quarterback and the receiver. Each had a legitimate chance to pick off the pass.
The 49ers played a three-hook weak defense. Fred Warner was in charge of covering the strong-side hook and dropped to the 45-yard line, almost halfway between the hash and the numbers. Fields tried to use his eyes to move Warner toward the sideline, but Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga both read what Fields was trying to do and slid over toward the strong side.
‘‘That’s why they got the pick,’’ Fields said. ‘‘So I’ve gotta just read the squeeze off of that and just make a better decision.’’
Scouting an interception
The Bears’ defense knew what was coming.
On third-and-four from the 49ers’ 47 with about 10 minutes to play, quarterback Trey Lance lined up in a shotgun with a fullback to his right, a receiver split right and three pass catchers — two receivers and a tight end — to his left.
Safety Eddie Jackson said that, based on film study Thursday, the Bears knew the 49ers liked to run a two-option route when they lined up with receivers stacked to the left.
The Bears played man coverage with Jackson as a ‘‘robber’’ — a safety who drops down into coverage — and defensive end Trevis Gipson backpedaling into coverage.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson lined up outside to force receiver Jauan Jennings to run a slant. Jackson, playing center field, read Lance’s eyes and broke on the ball for his first interception since 2019.
‘‘That’s what you do look for,’’ Eberflus said. ‘‘It’s about preparation. We prepare for that. . . . You’re able to get those looks into situations. It’s amazing how many times those things do show up.’’
Jackson credited a ‘‘great call’’ in the huddle that came from defensive coordinator Alan Williams.
‘‘We knew they loved those type of routes, especially on third-and-short,’’ Jackson said. ‘‘So [I] came down. Play your eyes.’’
To recognize the play that was about to come — and to capitalize on it — increased the players’ confidence in the way they were prepared.
‘‘Lets you know you have some good coaches,’’ linebacker Roquan Smith said.
