Matt Eberflus says foundation of winning habits is key to Bears’ future success

The Chicago Bears won’t play QB Justin Fields in Sunday’s season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. It’s a move that ensures the second-year passer will be healthy for the 2023 offseason, one that will be critical to his development as a passer in Year 2 under offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

With Fields’ first full season as the Bears’ franchise quarterback complete, it’s fair to say he was a resounding success. But for the team to catch up with his performance, a foundation of good habits must be developed. According to coach Matt Eberflus, that foundation is building despite a 3-13 record.

“Justin and I had the conversation yesterday about the leadership that we have had from players and coaches to be able to set the vision and set the direction of how we go about our business and working through our habits every single day,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “That’s what resonated to him, and that’s what resonated to me.

“When you do that over time, and you have additional draft picks and all those other things, and you work toward that, and all that improves, it’s going to be good. It’s going to be really good. But you can’t have that without the foundational floor of the habits it takes to create the winning environment it takes to get that done.”