Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus and players Cole Kmet and Tremaine Edmunds addressed reporters Monday at Halas Hall as they recovered from a 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos.
As the Bears look ahead to their Thursday night road game against the Washington Commanders, here are three things we learned.
Jenkins has been on IR since Aug. 31 after suffering a calf injury during the Bears’ trip to Indianapolis for joint practices. For the first four games, the Bears moved Cody Whitehair from center to left guard and put Lucas Patrick at center.
Jenkins can return to practice this week, and the Bears have 21 days to put him back on the active roster. Because of the short game week, the Bears have only one practice Wednesday. They were holding walk-throughs Monday and Tuesday.
Whenever Jenkins returns, his health will be a major storyline. He has played in only 19 games, with 13 starts, since his rookie season in 2021 because of injuries to his back, hip, neck and now calf.
The Bears have dealt with several absences on their offensive line this year, including left tackle Braxton Jones, who remains on IR with a neck injury.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring) and safety Eddie Jackson (foot) were listed as not practicing on Monday’s injury report.
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Like he did after Sunday’s game, Eberflus again laid out his reasoning for going for it on fourth-and-1 at the Broncos 18-yard line with 2 minutes, 57 seconds to play and the score tied at 28. On a read-option play, Bears quarterback Justin Fields took the shotgun snap and handed off to Khalil Herbert, who was stopped for no gain.
The Broncos took over, and five plays later, Wil Lutz made a 51-yard field goal for the lead.
Eberflus said the Bears talk about fourth-down situations “all the time” and factor opposing offenses and quarterbacks into such decisions. He said the Bears decided they were “going to trust in our offense” and “put the game away” by getting the first down, running more time off the clock and trying to score.
He said the way the Bears offense had thrived earlier in the game was a factor.
“If we execute in that moment, we’re going to get it and we’re going to have a chance to seal the game,” Eberflus said. “They would certainly still have time, but the win probability goes up there. You score a touchdown there in that moment, you’re taking timeouts and time away from their offense.
“We feel good about that too. We’re trying to seal the game right there and do a good job of capturing the game at that moment. We liked where we were running the ball at that time as an offense.”
The absence of wide receiver Chase Claypool from Soldier Field and Halas Hall this week was a major topic of conversation. And it’s one of several distractions Bears players have had to deal with, including the abrupt conduct-related resignation of defensive coordinator Alan Williams and a disagreement between Fields and reporters about how Fields’ comments about playing “robotic” while processing information from coaches were portrayed.
On top of four straight losses to open the season, it’s a lot for players to manage. Edmunds, one of four team captains, said the talk within the building is about facing those challenges head on.
“There’s going to be storms. You can’t run from those storms,” Edmunds said. “We’re not shying away from anything. If anything, it’s making us better, it’s building us closer, it’s meshing us together as a football team.
“Sometimes you’ve got to go through some stuff to get on the other side, and how you handle those storms, it’s going to be the ultimate test of who you are as a person and who you are as a football team. Adversity is the No. 1 teacher. It builds character within yourself and … the people around you.”