Halas Intrigue Bears Report: Dancing in the rain

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The Bears' season-opening win at rain-drenched Soldier Field wasn't pretty, but it was better than expected. Read the latest coverage and analysis below.

1. There's still work to do

Some games show exactly where a team stands and where it's headed.

Others are simply a mess.

The Bears splashed and sloshed their way to a 19-10 season-opening victory Sunday against the 49ers on the watery grass at Soldier Field. The game was as sloppy and gray as the weather, making it impossible to draw big-picture conclusions about quarterback Justin Fields, the reconfigured defense or the rebuilding Bears' trajectory.

By the end, there was standing water all over the field and the yard lines were runny and warped. It looked more like a van Gogh painting than an actual field as the Bears ran down the clock and turned the end zone into a Slip 'n Slide.

''That was awesome,'' Fields said. ''That was a snapshot moment, for sure.''

It certainly was an epic celebration, but what the Bears celebrated was more of an escape than a triumph — especially for the offense. They survived the weather and outscored the 49ers 19-0 in the last quarter and a half to win.

They'll take it, but replicating that regularly will be tough.

Justin Fields does enough for Bears to beat 49ers, but it'll take more to keep winning

The victory was more of an escape than a triumph, and that's fine given the circumstances. But it's going to take a much better performance by the offense to keep up with Aaron Rodgers next week at Lambeau Field.

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2. The tone is set

After Sunday's slippery, shocking 19-10 win against the 49ers, Matt Eberflus' H.I.T.S. system stood for: He Isn't Terribly Surprised.

He might be the only one. The Bears pulled the biggest upset of Week 1.

"I'm not surprised," Eberflus said after his first regular season game as a head coach, at any level. "I thought the guys executed. I thought that they hung in there. That's what you've got to do in the NFL. It's never going to be perfect. It's always going to be hard."

That's a handy reminder as the Bears embark on a rebuilding season. Sunday wasn't pretty; their offense thrived on broken plays and defense took advantage of 49ers quarterback Trey Lance starting his third career game.

Eberflus' debut, though, set the perfect tone for his coaching style. The Bears were sloppier than their playing surface in the first half, but, with rare exception, stuck to the discipline that their new coach preached with religious zeal all offseason long. That's the way they have to win games this year—they'll be outgunned most weeks.

Fittingly, Bears coach Matt Eberflus got his first win the hard way

The Bears were sloppier than their playing surface in the first half, but, with rare exception, stuck to the discipline that their new coach preached with religious zeal all offseason long. That's the way they have to win games this year — they'll be outgunned most weeks.

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3. It was a good game, it was a bad game

Of all the possible outcomes following a brutal first half by the Bears on Sunday, the most preposterous was the one that had the Bears winning because of their sad offense. In second place was any outcome in which the Bears won, whether because of defense, special teams or asteroid.

The most-likely ending to the rainy afternoon figured to be no progress from quarterback Justin Fields, an inevitable loss to the 49ers and public shaming.

But something strange and wonderful happened at Soldier Field, something that surely seemed impossible to anyone who had watched that abysmal first half of football. A broken play led to a 51-touchdown connection between Fields and Dante Pettis. That led to a turbo-charged awakening by the Bears' offense. And that led to a 19-10 upset in the bayou by the lakeshore.

It was Matt Eberflus' debut as head coach, and if he chooses to remember it in its totality, he'll be able to look back on the complete darkness of the first half followed by the bright light of the second half followed by a glorious downpour. If he chooses to purge the first half from his memory, no one will blame him.

First ugliness, then stunning beauty from the Bears, Justin Fields in a soggy upset of the 49ers

A 51-yard touchdown pass off a broken play changes everything in the season opener.

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4. In other news

Reporter Jason Lieser looks at three key aspects of the win over the 49ers.
And Mark Potash offers his takeaways from the game.
The Packers, who will play the Bears next Sunday, will be looking to bounce back from a season-opening loss to the Vikings.
A towel cost the Bears a field goal opportunity.
While the defense was tenacious, there were still plenty of red flags on offense.
Bears players celebrated by turning Soldier Field into a Slip 'N Slide.
As fans gathered for the season opener, the specter of a move to Arlington Heights loomed over Soldier Field.

5. From the podcast

Patrick Finley and Jason Lieser break down the Bears' 19-10 upset win against the 49ers and debate what it means for Matt Eberflus, Justin Fields and the rest of the team. LISTEN HERE.

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