Everything the Chicago Bears said after losing to the Dallas Cowboys

Everything the Chicago Bears said after losing 49-29 to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

Quotes courtesy of the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears media relations staffs.

Coach Matt Eberflus

Obviously, we’re disappointed in the loss. Give credit to the Dallas Cowboys and their coaching staff and their players. They played a good game, so credit to them. Obviously, we started out the game on defense and obviously the first four drives resulted in touchdowns. We’ve got to do a better job getting off the field. Definitely need to do a good job on third down to make that happen. We didn’t create enough third down situations for ourselves on third-and-long to really get off the field there, so we’ve got to do a better job with that. Our offense I think performed pretty well the entire day. They had a couple of three-and-outs, but for the most part [they] drove the ball, did a nice job in situations. Obviously, we cut that lead down to 11 points. With the Eddie interception there at the very end to kick a field goal, so that was really good. We told the guys at halftime this is a game. This is a game and it’s 11 points, so we can certainly dig ourselves out of this. The guys did a nice job. We traded punts to start the second half. Our offense drove the ball down there to make it a game and then we had that sequence, there were five minutes or so to go in the third quarter. They got us to jump offsides, hit the big chunk play. They got a couple of nice plays and they scored on us in the third quarter. The very next series on offense, they got the fumble for a touchdown. We’ve got to do a better job touching them down there in that situation and then from there we were just battling to stay in it. So it was, again, the guys always had their eyes forward on offense. A lot of good positive things. That was the best passer rating that Justin‘s had, 120. He really did a nice job. He was 17 and 23 with two touchdowns. Rushing offense is still doing a really good job, which it has all year. The fourth time we’ve had 230 yards this season. Third straight game with 200 yards rushing. [Khalil] was at 6.2; Justin was at 7.5. He was using his legs really good. To me, it was just a matter of us having an opportunity to really, in the third quarter, there, to come back to make that run to make it a game. In the third quarter, it’s unfortunate that we had those turn of events with about five minutes to go in the third quarter.

On how he coaches Justin Fields after the fumble return touchdown, knowing the details he stresses.

Yeah, just touch him down. We’ve showed multiple times during the course of our situations tape that we show every Friday that you’ve got to touch guys down. When you see that, you’ve got to touch them down. We know that. It’s part of pro football and we’ve just got to do a better job there.

On how big of a swing that stretch was.

It was big. We go score. We didn’t get the two-point conversion which would take it to a five point game and the defense jumps offsides. They get a big chunk down the middle. We didn’t do a very good job, really all day, on run defense. We didn’t do a good job of sustaining our gaps, maintaining our responsibilities. I told the guys after the game, guys were going to look at the tape and you’re going to see it. You’re going to see there’s no there’s no mystery here. It’s about good fundamentals, technique and you’ve got to do that down in and down out to play good defense.

On if the sideline plays any kind of role as far as knowing he’s not down.

Yeah, I just said that on the radio. We could have done a good job on the sidelines, “Hey, touch him down,” but it during the game. Certainly, we could have done a better job.

On the two-point conversion play when Lawrence came it untouched. Was it a read option?

Yeah, that’s exactly what it was. It should be a handoff. It should be a give, and he read it the other way and you just got to throw it then.

On if his heart skips a beat when his quarterback takes a hit like that.

Yeah, whenever your quarterback takes a hit like that. D-Law is a powerful guy. I was with him when he was here and, certainly, you want to make sure your guy’s not in harm’s way, but we’ve just got to make a good decision there.

On how Pollard got out of the gate on his 54-yard touchdown.

We had a pressure on there for that particular one and the guys that are away from the pressure have got to hammer the ball. The ball kept getting outside. I think it might’ve been, I don’t know who, exactly what numbers but it might have been at least two guys, the ball outside their arm. That’s a power bounce play. They’ve run it before and he did a nice job bouncing it.

On if, defensively, he sees issues with preparation or if he sees issues where this roster, talent-wise, isn’t ready to compete with good offenses

I mean, like I said, we’re going to go back and look at the tape. It’s going to be fundamentals. It’s going to be the coach and the players. We have to be able to execute better. We have to work together as a group. In these instances. We’re going to play teams that have good rosters. That’s part of football. If you want to be good, guess what you’ve got to do. We’ve just got to execute better.

On if his roster is ready, considering the teardown they had in the offseason.

I don’t believe that. I believe that it comes down to guys doing their job, coaches getting them to do it the right way together, and us playing the way we’re supposed to play.

On his mindset at the end of the game. Taking timeouts and trying to get the ball back.

Yeah, so we just wanted to get a couple of linemen in there, to get some work and we wanted to get Trevor some work. It was a 20-point game and at that point with five minutes to go or so. We were going to bang our timeouts. We planned on getting T in there just to get him a couple of reps, and we knew the game was over we were going to punt. We were out of time outs.

On coming off the Monday Night high and trade for Quinn, what the team can gather from this.

Just to look at every performance as it stands alone by itself. So, when you ride the wave of momentum like this, it can be a tricky thing for a young football team, so you have to look at every performance for what it is. So last Monday was a performance for what it is, and then your preparation is going to be the same. It’s going to be the same. And I’ll tell you this I thought we had a good week of practice, and I told the players that last night. But the performance wasn’t as well as we thought it was and again, my hat’s off to the Cowboys. They did a nice job game planning and executing all that, but just one performance at a time.

On his offense scoring 33 and 29 in two games back-to-back on the road.

It’s good. It’s positive. It’s a positive thing for the guys. I think the guys are starting to really gel. You can see that we implemented some things that are really enhancing the skill levels of our players. I think it’s starting to open up some things for us and it’s positive for sure.

On starting fast defensively in the second half and why it’s not “sticking.”

Yeah, it comes down to execution. You’ve got a look at the tape and we’re just going to have to do a better job. We’ve got to come out and execute on first and second down, get your third down favorables and execute on third down. It’s just basic ball. It’s going to be that way for a long time, so we’ve just got to do a better job.

On going with a shovel pass on the last offensive play of the first half.

Yeah, we like that play. We know they’re going to be softer there. We thought it was going to be a good play for us but it just broke down for whatever reason.

On if Justin has taken a step forward with how he uses his legs. The way he’s more deliberate in his running. Do you see that progression?

Yeah, I do. He’s good. He’s got good instincts that way. He knows situational football when he had to get the prescribed down and distance, so I think he’s growing that way for sure.

On the offense.

I just think it’s growing. You can see it growing and we can see that in practice the last three or four weeks, and we can see certainly see that the last couple of games. The guys here are going to look at the tape. They’ve got things to work on too, on offense. Our kicking game, we’ve got to work on things. We’ve got to work on some things on defense, so it’s get back to work

What’s most bothersome to you in terms of the defensive performance?

I would just say being able to get guys and get them in third and “longer’s,” so the first and second defense has got to be better to get us into the third down situations that we like.

QB, Justin Fields

On the fumble return touchdown

“It’s my fault for just hopping over him. I should have tackled him. I can’t remember the last time I made a tackle. So, I’ve just to be aware in that situation and make sure he’s down.”

On how much it bothers him the swing in points that occurred during the sequence including the fumble return for a TD

“You’re always going to have ups in downs in the game, you can’t look at one. You’ve just got to keep fighting, keep going.”

On if there are any guidelines that tell him to get out of the way if there’s a turnover

“No.”

On the first two-point conversion

“Yeah, cover zero. We didn’t expect them to in-and-out that concept to the left. So, that was my answer to cover zero to the left and they in-and-outed it. Didn’t expect them to do that but knowing that they run cover zero I’ve just got to throw the ball anyway.”

On what progress is being made in the offense

“I think we’re growing, getting better each and every week. I’m just proud of the guys, the way they fought. We were down early but they didn’t waver We kept the same mentality and just chipped away and I thought as a whole group we played well.”

On if he wanted one more shot at the end zone before half time

“I’m just playing each play. I don’t even remember to be honest with you. I mean, I think it was a good play, we’ve just got to have better blocking in front.”

On what may have been the strategy to keep tying to go for the deep ball

“If you want to have success in the NFL you’re always going to have to be a threat to stretch the defense vertically so you have to take shots downfield, so they’re not all up in your grill.”

On how they move-on without getting the win

“I think just look at the positive things, of course. Watch the film. See where we need to grow and keep getting better. I think the offense today played well, and of course there’s always ways to get grow and better. We put up 29 points. I think that was the most they’ve let up this year. I’m just going to keep working to get better each and every day in practice.”

On how his body is feeling with two games in the last five days

“It’s a little bit beat up. My legs were a little bit sore; I couldn’t run 100% today. Hopefully this full week will get me back right and I’ll be able to go out.”

On why he went to the medical tent

“That was just a re-injury from last week. It was just like a contusion on my hip. When I got sacked I fell on my hip. It kind of just re-bothered it. So, I just took some Advil and just got back in the game. But yeah, like I said, just little bumps and bruises.”

On if he feels he is growing as a runner

“Yeah, for sure. Like I said last week, it just our offense a whole different element. Definitely feel like I’m growing running.”

On if anything feels like it’s getting slower or easier for him in the game

“I think I’m just getting more comfortable with the offense. I think other guys are too and the offense is growing. It’s week 9 coming up. I think everybody is getting more and more comfortable as we gameplan and play together. Our offensive coach has done a great job of figuring out what we do as an offense, what each player does individually well. So, we’re figuring that out and I think that creates success for sure.”

On if there is something specific that he feels he is doing better

“Just growing, for real. Can’t put my finger on it but just growing, getting better.”

On the first touchdown

“It looked like cover zero, so I just checked the protection and kind of kept the same route concepts. We had great protection, Q ran a great route. So just put it one him and scored a touchdown.”

On the touchdown to Cole Kmet

“Just play action. I think run supported a little bit, he just ran to the corner, corner slipped. Cole executed that play well Great protection up front and pretty much all around well-executed.”

On what the offense could be if they could hit the deep shots more consistently

“More explosives, just more explosive kind of offense.”

On if he’s concerned with all the hits he’s taking

“The only hit I was mad that I took today was the first run. I think I should have just run out of bounds initially. But football is football, you’re gonna get hit.”

On how they move past a difficult week

“That’s how the league is. When you’re as close as everyone was on the team…Robert of course, it’s going to be a little bit emotional but we still have business to take care of and I think the guys responded well. I think we had a great week of practice. I think you’ve just got to give credit to the offense. We played a great game. Our defense didn’t play as well as we wanted to. I know they’re going to get back to work this upcoming weekend and have a better performance next week for sure.”

RB, David Montgomery

On the frustration of taking a step back: “Yeah, I’m more frustrated in myself just because I could have performed better, and I didn’t. I felt like the momentum changed once I fumbled the ball and they recovered it for six. That’s on me and I take full hiatus for that.”

On facing the Dallas defense: “Yeah, they are a really good defense. But we were able to scheme up some things and get after them a little bit.”

On the toughness of Justin Fields: “It definitely impresses me, him being hit the way he gets hit and still being able to come back and perform the way he does.”

On the Parsons fumble return: “I thought he was down. I definitely should have chased the ball. I was more disappointed in myself that I dropped the ball. It just goes to show that I’ve got to be better for my teammates.”

On the diversity of the running game: “It’s good, we just need to keep doing it.”

On if there’s a building confidence: “Yes, of course. But like I said, I’ve got to play better so I don’t put us in those situations where they put points on the board when I don’t pay attention to the details of protecting the ball.”

On what he’s disappointed in most: “Dropping the ball. Fumbling the ball. It’s not what I do. It was unfortunate that it happened the way it happened. I was just out there playing ball and I wasn’t aware of my surroundings. I was trying to get more than I was trying to do. It was unfortunate, but I dropped the ball.”

WR, Darnell Mooney

On the offense today: “We put the ball down on the ground a few times. I think the first drive we didn’t do too well and then coming out of halftime, we didn’t do too well. Just executing in all areas. Whenever we have the ball, just do something well with it. Like you said, we did well. But we’ve got to score more points than the other team.”

On if there’s progress: “For sure. Even from last week to this week...From the beginning of the season, the biggest thing was executing things and everyone being on the same page. It’s slowly processing and slowly getting better and better. We’ve just got to continuously do those things, get back to practice and keep going.”

On the toughness of Justin Fields: “He’s got to stop taking hits. I love him, he’s a tough guy. But I don’t need him to be a tough guy anymore. Just get out of bounds or something, because we’re gonna need him.”

On the frustration of taking a step back: “It’s frustrating to take a loss. But the biggest thing is to look at the film, see what we can do and keep it going.”

On the cost of penalties and turnovers: “Penalties killed us. I think it would have been a big momentum swing if we came out of halftime and scored. If you look at them, they were tired -- gassed. So, we had them on the ropes. If we would have just beat them up, beat them up, beat them up and score. I think that would have been a good thing for us.”

On facing the Dallas defense: “We just went out and tried to do our thing. We knew that they have good edge rushers who would come vertical off the edge and not be too worried about the run. Understand that and understanding that their DBs will sit on things because they have good edge rushers. We kind of took advantage of some of those things. Collectively as an offense, we did good except for like two or three drives.”

On making progress: “It’s better and better each week...We’re putting points on the board. We’re scoring. We’re being a threat. We’re being dominant. We’re being good on third down. I feel like we move the ball whenever we want to. If we get stopped, it’s something we did, nothing that they did.”

TE, Cole Kmet

On his touchdown: “It was off of run action. We had run multiple times earlier in the game. So, it was really stable to run off the corner. Just get open off of that and he just put up a good ball for me. It was good (to get in the end zone). It was well executed play. It kind of kept us in it, but we weren’t able to pull through in the end.”

On Justin Fields: “His ability to run out of the pocket and all that stuff is really special. The designed QB runs are also a plus. He kind of creates his opportunities in the pass game. So, we’ll just keep winning on that.”

On if there’s progress: “Yeah, as long as that run game (does well). I think we really rushed well again today. If we keep running like that, it’ll just create some opportunities for us. It’s definitely a good step for us and we’ll keep progressing with it…Sticking to the run. That’s kind of our strength. I don’t think that’s a secret at this point. They were prepared for it, and we were still able to run that football…It really puts the defense on their heels. We just need to stick with that run game and let it create some opportunities for the pass game.”

On the status of the pass game: “I think it’s complementing off the run game. Obviously, we’re not top of the league by any means, but I think success in the run game is giving us opportunities in the pass game. That’s kind of where we’re at with it.,”

On gaining confidence in the offense: “I think it shows what type of guys we’ve got. We’ve got a physical group up there. There was no secret. They knew what we were doing today, and we were still able to run the ball. When you’re able to do that, that’s how you have a successful offense in the league. We’ve just got keep doing that week in and week out.”

On losing momentum because of penalties and turnovers: “That’s the NFL, right? It’s who’s executing the best. At the end of the day, we didn’t execute as well as they did on offense. They were clicking. It was an opportunity for us as an offense to play toe to toe with that, but we weren’t able to do it. So, we’ll look at our side of the ball and make sure we get our things corrected.”

OL Michael Schofield III

On the Parsons fumble return: “I was trying to get on the ball, but I missed it. I thought he was touched by the receiver right there, but still I tried to get through and there was like three guys in front of me so I couldn’t get there.”

On the impact of the play: “Anytime you fumble, and the defense gets a touchdown, it’s always going to be a little deflating. But it’s how you respond. You can’t let it affect the game.”

OL Riley Reiff

On the success of the running game: “Whatever they call, we’re going to fight. We’re going to claw. It just speaks to the guys in here…they are doing a helluva job. We’ve got to keep moving forward.”

On the fumble return: “You’ve got to touch him, man. I kind of had an angle at it. I tried making a play. Obviously, I’m not the most athletic guy out in space. But hats off to them. I know David’s hurting over that one. It is what it is. But we don’t point fingers or anything. We just move on and keep fighting…I kind of saw it unfold. I started hustling over to it. It’s just one of those deals. You’ve got to touch him down. Sometimes there’s strip, sack, fumbles, you’ve got to get on the ball.

DE, Trevis Gipson

On how disappointing the loss is: “Life and football is just about ups and downs and being resilient. It comes down to just continuing to do the things you are supposed to do, being gap sound, technical sound, and really just playing with relentless effort. You can’t control the outcome, but you can control what you do.”

On the biggest issue on the Cowboys first scoring drive: “We weren’t as gap sound as we should have been. Honestly, we could have been better and we could have played better together. We all had things that we need to work on and could have done better as a defense. I think it is just going to come down to us going to work tomorrow and figuring out what we need to do to be better.”

On how big a boost was Eddie Jackson’s interception at the end of the first half: “It was a big boost. Before going out on that drive, we told each other that we needed a play being made. You know BoJack is a great player, so he came in and did what we needed him to do and it gave us life. It gave us life going into the second half. It is just about being relentless.”

On how demoralizing was the loss for the defense after having played better the past couple weeks: “It did sneak up on us. We could have been more gap sound, more technical sound. We can’t hang our heads on this game. We have a 24-hour rule. We are going to have to come back tomorrow to work and see what we need to get done so it doesn’t happen again.”

LB, Roquan Smith

On what was causing the defense so much trouble: “Tip my hat to those guys. They had a good game plan and that’s that. Defense, we never can allow someone to score that many points on us. That’s embarrassing. We have to look ourselves in the mirror and go from there, because that’s what it is all about. Just have to look at each individual play. And the play of each player. That starts with me. We have to go from there and just have to get better from this game.”

On the 54-yard touchdown play and what happened: “There were a lot of mistakes on that play. I actually ended up getting tripped up right there, but that is no excuse. I still have to make that play, a guy of my caliber. It’s no excuse. Hats off to the guy for executing the run, but it’s embarrassing. We should never let anyone run the ball like that. Just have to get better and take this one under the chin. Hats off to those guys, but we have to get better, that’s embarrassing – on the defensive side.”

On the Cowboys’ one-yard touchdown play: “That’s my play. I should have made that every day of the week and twice on Sundays. That’s inexcusable and I think it starts with me. Defense, we didn’t play to our standard. It’s unacceptable. It started with me and just have to get better. And we all have to get better from our individual assignments.”

DL, Justin Jones

On whether there is any play that sticks with him that he wants back: “Definitely. When we had them on third down in the third quarter. We were in the red zone and there was a block. I could have played the backside of that way better. That’s just me personally off the top of my head that I can think of. I just have to watch the film and see.”

On allowing long drives and big plays in the game: “They had a good game plan. I wasn’t ready for it. What can I really say? I have to watch the film and see where we fell short. There are a lot of things we can get better at.”

DB, Kindle Vilnor

On how the early tempo by the Cowboys affected the defense: “I know for me, personally, I really wasn’t expecting the tempo. It is just something you have to adjust to. In the future, I just need to be ready for anything to happen.”

On whether he thinks Dak Prescott was targeting him: “A couple of slants, I mean I don’t really worry about that. I know I can play that tighter for sure and make plays on those balls. Just get better every day, watch the film and get ready for next week.”

On whether Eddie Jackson’s interception boosted the team: “That was big going into halftime and being able to get some points off of that. That was a really big play by him.”

On what it is like being in a hole and seeing the offense coming alive and starting to score: “We know in all three phases, we have to help each other out – defense, offense, special teams. Maybe if we are lacking they can help us out; if they are lacking, we can help them out. They go hand in hand. It was good to see them go out and try to fight to put us back in the game and came up short.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2022 at 5:19 PM.