5 Things on the Bears: More historic numbers in reach; impressive debut by Claypool

Normally in Five Things on the Bears, our "by the numbers" section is somewhere in the middle of the article.

But this week we've got to lead with it because Justin Fields and Co. not only have a chance to break team marks but also to rewrite the NFL record book.

Let's start with Fields, who set the single-game rushing record by a quarterback Sunday with 178 yards in a 35-32 loss to the Dolphins at Soldier Field.

With that effort, Fields now has 602 rushing yards, which is second all-time by a Bears QB. With 367 more he will break Bobby Douglass' record of 968, which has stood for 50 years.

The NFL record of 1,206 yards was set by Lamar Jackson in 2019. Fields must average 75.6 yards in the remaining eight games to pass Jackson.

Now what about the team?

Well, the Bears - who are averaging 195.4 yards per game - could not only surpass the franchise mark of 2,974 but also set the league record, which is held by the 2019 Ravens (3,296). Of course, it helps that the NFL added a 17th game last year.

So why is the offense clicking so well?

RB Khalil Herbert believes guys are "buying into the details" and "really coming ready to work each day." Meanwhile, tight end Cole Kmet gave credit to offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.

"Sometimes, you're in the huddle and you're like, 'Oh, hell yeah. That's a great time to call this," Kmet said. "He's got a great feel ... and all the players are really believing in that."

No rest for the QB:

When David Montgomery or Khalil Herbert get winded after a big run, they'll often come out for a play or two. Same goes for a wide receiver after a few tough plays.

But Justin Fields doesn't have this luxury, no matter how many times he sprints from the pocket or takes off on designed runs.

"He'll give his long, deep breath, and then he just keeps going," said Cole Kmet. "I'm sure he's exhausted; I know I'm exhausted at times running around trying to find where he is. ...

"But that's just the type of athlete he is, and it speaks a lot to his conditioning and the type of work he put in in the off-season."

Where was the pressure?

The Bears allowed a combined 84 points and 821 yards to the Dolphins and Cowboys the last two weeks. The defense's inability to get ANY pressure on the quarterback is one reason why offenses are running roughshod over Alan Williams' unit.

Williams is getting next to nothing out of defensive linemen Trevis Gipson, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Justin Jones, Armon Watts, Dominique Robinson, Angelo Blackson and Mike Pennel.

Against the Dolphins, coach Matt Eberflus said his DBs didn't do a good enough job of jamming Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at the line of scrimmage.

That was evident and it allowed both Dolphins receivers to find soft spots in the Bears' underwhelming zone coverage. Hill finished with 143 yards on 7 catches, and Waddle had 85 yards on 5 receptions.

The big question is, why not come on an all-out blitz now and again? Maybe even start the game that way to keep the Dolphins off balance. Make them wonder what's coming on every snap.

Yes, it's dangerous and can lead to long plays, but the Dolphins went 75, 75, 64, 75 and 75 yards on their first five possessions.

Enough is enough. It's time to have a little fun and bring the heat in the coming weeks.

Catch. The. Ball.

On the Bears' final offensive play Sunday, Justin Fields stepped up in the pocket, ran to his right and threw an absolute strike to Equanimeous St. Brown. It would have been a 14- or 15-yard gain on fourth-and-10, but the ball went right through St. Brown's hands.

"Have to catch that 100 out of 100 times," former Bears WR Tom Waddle texted me Monday when I asked how difficult a grab that was considering the velocity of the throw. "Uncontested, not a hard catch for an NFL receiver."

St. Brown has been a big part of the running attack, but drops like that won't endear him to Matt Eberflus, Luke Getsy or Fields.

The bright side of the play the accuracy displayed by Fields.

"With the intermediate passing, he's really improved on that because he's learning the offense, he's having better pocket presence, his timing's getting better, (and) he's getting more comfortable," Eberflus said. "(QB coach Andrew) Janocko and Getsy have done a nice job with that. So a credit to all those guys."

Tall task:

New WR Chase Claypool had an eventful debut for the Bears, catching 2 passes for 13 yards on 6 targets, picking up 4 yards on 1 rush attempt and drawing a 28-yard pass interference penalty on the fifth play from scrimmage.

Oh, and let's not forget about the second-to-last play of the game when Dolphins CB Keion Crossen should have been whistled for pass interference as he wrapped up Claypool on a long pass attempt.

Good buddy Cole Kmet said he "can't imagine" what Claypool went through in terms of learning the playbook on such short notice.

"We've been learning this offense since back in April, and you come in on five days ... and try and really get a whole game plan," Kmet said. "We were helping him out there, for sure, but you're going to see him play faster and faster each week as he gets comfortable with the offense."