Following their come-from-behind win against Tennessee to open the 2024 NFL season, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus had a positive outlook on a game that was far from perfect.
After having a night to sleep on the game and take everything in, Eberflus remained proud of his team.
Bears HC Matt Eberflus Dives Into Week 1 Win Against Tennessee
Eberflus Proud of Bears’ Ability To Keep Fighting
In Eberflus’ two seasons as the Bears’ head coach preceding this year, wins haven’t been easy to come by. In 2022 and 2023 combined, Eberflus has a combined record of 10-24, winning just three games in his first year.
Chicago bounced back with a strong second half last season and still ended with a losing record. With Eberflus’ Bears starting the season off undefeated, he credits the win to this team’s ability to keep fighting.
“Winning a game in the NFL is hard,” said Eberflus. “It was hard yesterday. These Week 1 games are, as I watched the highlights last night, there’s some ups and downs to it. But, I was proud of our guys in really trusting our leadership of our football team to be able to stay together and find solutions of how to win that game.”
This game likely wasn’t the win Eberflus envisioned, but records don’t come with context. A win is always a win, and a loss is always a loss.
Caleb Williams’ Lack of Turnovers Major Plus
While Caleb Williams didn’t have the rookie debut many expected, coach Eberflus was particularly excited about one part of his performance on Sunday.
“I’m not out there playing, but my evaluation was he took care of the football, which he did all day, in the pocket,” said Eberflus. “I know he had the two sacks, but he did a nice job of taking care of the football. And that was really the difference in the game. The quarterback on the opposing team had the giveaways, and we didn’t.”
Although Williams didn’t surpass the 100-yard mark or throw for a touchdown, the biggest part of this win is that he left unscathed in the turnover department. Whether it be interceptions or fumbles, Williams stayed clean throughout four quarters of play, and that deserves praise.
For quarterbacks that came before Williams, they weren’t necessarily as careful keeping the ball out of harm’s way.
Special Teams Unit Stood Out
With the lackluster offensive play on Sunday against Tennessee, coach Flus noted the special teams unit’s play as a key to victory.
“It’s good to have a special teams unit that’s a weapon,” said Eberflus. “I always tell the guys before the game that you guys set field position and we score points. Those are the two main jobs of the special teams unit and we did that yesterday.”
On Chicago’s first touchdown of the game, Daniel Hardy came up big with a blocked punt that Jonathan Owens returned 21 yards for the score, giving the Bears life in the second half.
That was a major play for momentum, as Soldier Field was rocking afterward. Had that play not happened, it’s unlikely that Chicago would wake up 1-0 this morning.
Next week, the Bears play against a strong special teams unit in Houston, who coach Eberflus knows they’ll have to prepare extra for.
Rome Odunze Dealing With Knee Injury
The final takeaway from Eberflus’ press conference on Monday was that rookie WR Rome Odunze was being evaluated for a knee injury.
Along with Odunze, both DJ Moore and Keenan Allen had plays that ended up with them in the medical tent. Coach Flus didn’t appear too concerned about Moore or Allen, noting the true concern was their No. 9 overall pick.
#Bears HC Matt Eberflus was asked if he was concerned about injuries DJ Moore & Keenan Allen had during yesterday’s game and then volunteered that the only concern was with Rome Odunze’s knee. pic.twitter.com/gl5fAfDh1B
— Barroom Network | Aldo Gandia (@BarroomNetwork) September 9, 2024
“The only real concern we have is Rome, Rome’s knee,” said Eberflus. “So, we’ll have to see where that is. He’s getting an MRI today and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
According to Eberflus, Odunze hurt his knee on Sunday following a blocking play. He was unsure when the exact play occurred but mentioned that the information on this situation was unknown at the time.
Eberflus also said he’d know more about the situation on Wednesday to share with the media.