13 August 2023 , 12:43
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The Chicago Bears will be feeling confident going into the 2023 NFL regular season after the latest pre-season game.
Head coach Matt Eberflus is going into his second season in charge of the team, and will be looking for significant improvement this time around. The Bears finished 3-14 and bottom of the NFC North and ended the season on a 10-game losing streak.
The Bears have put a great deal of faith in star quarterback Justin Fields, who the team hopes will be the future of the franchise. Fields was the No.11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and he will have a number of options on offense going into his third year on the team.
During the off-season, the Bears gave up the No.1 overall pick to acquire DJ Moore from the Carolina Panthers. As a result, the Panthers drafted quarterback Bryuce Young with the top pick, while the Bears added two further draft picks.
Now the Bears have one of the NFL’s star wide receivers on the roster, alongside future star quarterback Fields. And the partnership between the duo was in full swing on Saturday night during pre-season.
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The Bears faced the Tennesee Titans at Soldier Field and 23-17 victory in the pre-season game. Fields 3-3 on passing for 129 yards with zero interceptions and two touchdown passes.
One of the TD passes went to Moore, who took control of a short pass and went on to complete a lengthy run for a 62-yard touchdown. It was the only reception Moore received during his brief minutes on the field, but it already offered a viewing of what the partnership with Fields could be like in the 2023 season.
Eberflus was left stunned by the plays performed by Fields and Moore during what was the team’s first pre-season game. And the Bears head coach is hopeful that other stars, including running back Khalil Herbert, will thrive this forthcoming season.
"I don't think I've ever seen that in a first preseason game," said Eberflus, reflecting on the first quarter that saw a 14-7 lead. "We've been working really hard on those screens, as I said last week. They're operating better.
“Our timing still has to get better on those. But it's really a credit to the athleticism of DJ and Herbert as well, but it's also guys blocking.
“On the first one I saw Braxton [Jones] block the edge and I saw [Darnell] Mooney seal it. It was a really good play by all three of those guys, and then we saw the speed of DJ."