Justin Fields is on such a roll, not even a bad snap could stop him last week against the Commanders.
Those wayward snaps have caused all sorts of problems for Fields and the Bears. But on second-and-six at the Bears’ 29-yard line late in the third quarter, Fields grabbed Cody Whitehair’s high snap and not only avoided disaster but gained eight yards for a first down.
It was that kind of night. In the second quarter, Commanders quarterback Sam Howell missed a 39-yard touchdown pass when he overthrew an open Dyami Brown in the end zone. In the fourth, rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was called for pass interference against Terry McLaurin at the Bears’ 15-yard line. But after a discussion, the officials picked up the flag.
The Commanders drove to the Bears’ 28 and set up Joey Slye for a 46-yard field-goal attempt to make it a one-score game. But just when Bears fans were starting to fear the worst, Slye missed the kick.
Three plays later, Fields thew a pass in the flat to DJ Moore on third-and-two. Cornerback Kendall Fuller jumped the route and went for the interception, but he came up empty and Moore sealed the game with a 56-yard touchdown.
“That’s a good sign,” wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. “You always look at other teams and you’re like, ‘They got so lucky.’ It’s about time we got some of that luck on our side. We always [get] the bad end of the stick. It’s a good sign that we’re [heading] in that right direction. Hopefully we can get some more of that in these next games.”
Things went the Bears’ way on multiple levels when they ended their 14-game losing streak last week. You need to draft the right players and coach ’em up to win in the NFL. But having the football gods on your side doesn’t hurt. And it sure seems like the better you get and the more you win, the more fate moves its huge hands in your favor.
“I didn’t really [notice it] until you watch the film,” Mooney said. “But, yeah, it’s like, ‘[Shoot], how did that work out?’ Glad that worked out.”
“You create your own luck with how you work and how you prepare,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “And if you put yourself in position to make plays and [put] the playmakers to make those plays in certain situations, they make them. DJ made that play in that moment because he’s a really good player, and we put him in the situation, and he made the play. So it was really good.”
While at 1-4, the Bears still have a long way to go and a lot to prove, the football gods — or just NFL circumstances — are giving them a chance. On Sunday, they face the 1-4 Vikings, who not only have their own problems winning games, but will be without All-Pro wide receiver Justin Jefferson, arguably the best non-quarterback in the NFL.
The Bears are a long way from breaking even on the good-fortune front. But just like they’ve created a lot of their own misfortune, they have the opportunity to make some breaks, as well. That’s what good teams do.
“It just comes down to the fact that good teams find a way to win,” said linebacker T.J. Edwards, who went to the Super Bowl with the Eagles last season. “There’s luck, and sometimes the ball bounces your way — things you can’t control.
“But when we’re doing things we’re supposed to be doing, good things will happen. We’re riding that momentum from last week. We’re confident, and that’s the biggest thing to me. We want to go in and trust each other and play a complete football game.”
