The Chicago Bears returned to Halas Hall on Monday to review their 41-10 loss to the Detroit Lions and begin preparations for Sunday’s season finale against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.
Here are three things we heard from Bears coach Matt Eberflus and his players.
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Eberflus said the Bears will consider player health as they determine whether quarterback Justin Fields and others get on the field against the Vikings.
After the loss to the Lions, Eberflus said Fields would play if healthy, and he reiterated that Monday. But Fields has been playing through a separated left shoulder for a month, and he said he had a hip issue that required stretching during Sunday’s game.
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He still played until the end of the blowout loss because Eberflus said coaches believed the “live experience” was important for Fields. But the Bears could consider those health issues as they weigh whether he gets one more game.
“The health of the football team … where we were two weeks ago is different than where we are now,” Eberflus said. “So it’s important that we evaluate that.”
A loss also would boost the Bears’ chances at a higher draft pick, with their potential first-round selection ranging from No. 1 to No. 4 depending how Week 18 plays out.
On the flip side, Fields has a chance to break Lamar Jackson’s single-season quarterback rushing record of 1,206 yards. Fields has 1,143 and has rushed for 64 yards or more eight times this season.
After becoming the third NFL quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, along with Jackson and Michael Vick, Fields said last month he wouldn’t mind going after the record.
“It’s an important factor, but it’s not end-all, be-all,” Eberflus said Monday when asked about the record. “Certainly the health of our team is the most important thing.”
Fields said Sunday he briefly talked to Claypool on the sideline about a small outburst, telling him it’s “good to have emotion in a game, but you just have to know how to control it. You can’t let it come out like that because at the end of the day, that’s not helping anybody.”
Eberflus praised Fields’ comments, calling them “perfect,” and said coaches also talked to Claypool.
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“We understand how we want to operate on the sideline,” Eberflus said. “Because on the sideline, you’re there to encourage certainly and there to challenge — that’s good too. But there’s a way to go about that. And when you go about it the right way, it’s positive and it’s productive.
“If you go about it a certain way, then it’s taking away focus and energy because everybody’s looking over and seeing what’s going on. So it’s just got to be productive. You’ve got to have some self-control — with the controlled violence that you have to play this game with.”
Claypool has had a bumpy transition since the Bears acquired him from the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2023 second-round pick at the trade deadline. In six games, he has 12 catches for 111 yards on 23 targets. He missed Weeks 15 and 16 with a knee injury and was targeted only once Sunday while playing in a limited capacity because of the knee.
Fields said Claypool responded to their talk by saying: “Yeah, my fault. I’m just frustrated right now.”
“He’s a hard worker,” Fields said. “I know he wants to be great, so the more time we get to spend with each other, the more time we get to know each other (the better). … Just being able to practice earlier in the week, that gets me on the same page with him, seeing how he runs routes, some of the stuff like that.
“So of course we want to get him the ball. Being passionate about the game like he is and his want to be great is good for our team, and we’re going to keep getting better and keep growing and learning.”
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Pettis left Sunday’s game to be evaluated for a concussion. He cleared protocol, Eberflus said, but he went to the hospital after the game for blurred vision.
Eberflus said Pettis flew home separately from the team.
“He’s still getting evaluated with the doctors just to make sure everything’s all good,” Eberflus said.
