Fields: Preseason finale was ‘turning point' for offense

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The Bears offense entered Saturday’s preseason finale with plenty to prove. They punted three times in their first real test against the Chiefs, and managed a field goal in their one series against the Seahawks in Week 2. Beyond putting points on the board, Matt Eberflus made it clear that the unit as a wholeー a young roster working to install a new schemeー needed time to jell.

For a final tune-up, the Bears offense couldn’t have asked for much better.

After a three-and-out to start the game, the offense exploded with three touchdowns on their next three drives. The offensive line created holes in the run game, and gave Justin Fields time in the passing game. The pass catchers created separation from defenders, and Fields was sharp. He finished 14-16 for 156 yards and three scores, good for a 146.9 rating. David Montgomery appeared to be in midseason form. Luke Getsy’s play calling and play design put everyone in the best position to succeed, despite running a vanilla preseason scheme.

“Good operation overall,” said Eberflus. “I thought they ran the ball solid, play action was nice, the boots and waggles were good, we took the completions there.”

Eberflus said Fields took “a big step forward” in his operation of the offense, too. The Bears have worked on Fields’ mechanics this offseason, and he displayed how those little changes have helped him, like how tweaks to his footwork lead to getting the ball out of his hands faster.

To be fair, many Browns defensive starters didn’t play, including star edge rushers Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney and starting corners Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome, so it wasn’t the full dress rehearsal the Bears hoped for when they prepared for this game like they would a regular season game. But the Bears can’t control who they line up against. They can only control how they execute.

“Definitely a turning point,” said Justin Fields about the offense’s performance, regardless of the fact that it’s a preseason game. “I think the O-line did a great job protecting today. I told them that multiple times. The receivers did a great job in scramble drill, just running the routes at the right depth and stuff like that.

“We can just build on this, and go into next week, get better and prepare for San Fran in two weeks.”

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