Matt Eberflus’ ‘HITS’ principle fuels Chicago Bears’ comeback victory over San Francisco 49ers

The hustle and intensity was reflected in the perseverance and grit the Bears displayed in outscoring the 49ers 19-0 over the game’s final 25:32 after San Francisco had taken a 10-0 third-quarter lead.

“Coach always says it’s mental and physical stamina, who can play the longest, the hardest, and just play every play,” said quarterback Justin Fields, who threw two second-half touchdown passes after a sluggish start. “I think we won this game with mental and physical stamina. I’m proud of the defense, proud of the O-line, just proud of everybody.”

The offense failed to advance beyond its own 35 on its first five possessions of the game. But after picking up three first downs on a drive late in the first half, the Bears scored touchdowns on their first three possessions of the second half to turn a 10-0 deficit into a 19-10 lead.

Left guard Cody Whitehair revealed that the Bears made halftime adjustments “to fit our combinations a little bit better” and resolved to “finish a little better” in the second half.

“You could definitely tell we had the momentum coming in before the half and then we carried that over to start the second half,” he said.

The fanatical emphasis Bears coaches place on generating takeaways paid dividends in two key situations Sunday. The 49ers opened the game by marching to the Chicago 16. But cornerback Jaylon Johnson thwarted the threat by punching the ball out of the hands of Deebo Samuel on a sweep, and safety Jaquan Brisker recovered the fumble.

“That was great,” Eberflus said. “They were on a drive. They had some momentum and we stopped it with that. And that happens. I can go back to countless examples where the guys get in the red zone, and you just hang in there. If you just hang in there on defense and you keep pounding the rock, good things will happen and that’s what happened.

“Jaylon punched it and then Brisker recovered it. It was an outstanding play. And that happens a lot of times on the perimeter. The ball comes off the body and you get a punch out.”