Five biggest takeaways from an ecstasy-filled victory from the Bears over the Lions

The Monsters of the Midway have returned to the Windy City, and like it or not, they’re being led by Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

2. The likelihood of the Chicago Bears running this thing back continues to increase.

Anyone who has followed my takeaways over the course of this season knows I have not minced words when it comes to Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.

I won’t bring up last season because if I’m going to have the opinion that a tank season shouldn’t be used against Justin Fields, neither should it for Matt Eberflus. And going off this season, Matt Eberflus has had a similar rise in performance since the beginning.

Maybe the best thing that could’ve happened to the Chicago Bears was the dismissal of Alan Williams because ever since Matt Eberflus took up playcalling duties, this defense has been unreal.

Don’t worry, I’ll be giving the defense their flowers for my third takeaway, but they will share them with their head coach/defensive coordinator. All of a sudden, the ‘HITS’ principle isn’t so much of a joke; it’s beginning to look like the real deal.

It’s not just his calls on defense that I value, either. He’s improving as a head coach as well. Aside from the fact that his team clearly hasn’t quit on him despite a large amount of losing, Eberflus has shown an aggressive side by choosing to go for it on fourth down in the right situations.

Getsy didn’t help his head coach out on the fourth-and-one call early (he admittedly called a good game otherwise) but Eberflus choosing to go for it on fourth-and-13 proved to be the turning point in the game as Justin Fields drew the defense offsides and hit Moore for a lead they’d never give back.

Flus, you did good. Keep this up and the calls for Jim Harbaugh and other coaches will begin to quiet.

3. The Monsters of the Midway put the NFL on notice: They’re back.

I’m going to attempt to make this brief because in all honesty, I could praise every single member of the starting Chicago Bears defense this week.

The Detroit Lions have been an offensive juggernaut on the season as a whole despite their recent struggles, but you wouldn’t know it if you only watched this game. They got punked by the Chicago Bears.

Montez Sweat, somehow, is making the Washington version of himself look bad. Since coming to Chicago, he’s unlocked this defense in ways I didn’t believe were possible this season.

Seriously, take a look at this graphic. The Chicago Bears are playing Top 5 defensive football.

The addition of Sweat has suddenly brought into focus how damn good the linebacking and defensive back cores are as well.

The trio of TJ Edwards, Tremaine Edmunds, and Jack Sanborn may very well be the best trio of linebackers in football. They do it all, whether it’s playing well against the run (this game may not be the best example, but they came alive late), defending the pass, generating turnovers, or getting after the quarterback.

Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson put on an absolute clinic, shutting down the trash-talking Amon Ra St. Brown for one of his worst performances of the year. Johnson had another interception, further making the argument why he deserves to be paid very handsomely this offseason.

Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten Jaquan Brisker. I think Brisker would be the first to tell you that he wasn’t playing as well as he would’ve liked to begin the year, but on Sunday, all he did was make Chicago Bears defensive back history.

17 tackles, 12 solo. Those are unreal numbers for Brisker, who is only a second-year player. With each game that goes by, the draft picks of Ryan Poles continue to improve and thrive.

The Poles’ draft classes have largely been a GM masterclass on the defensive side of the football. Another example showed the steady improvement of rookies Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens on the defensive line. If Dexter can become the 3-tech of the future, watch out.

The Chicago Bears even had a Yannick Ngakoue sighting on Sunday, who can shed the John Cena label that I’ve put on him so far this year? He was credited with a sack and I could finally see him.

The Monsters of the Midway are back. No sentence I type could be any sweeter.