Running back David Montgomery believes that Bears players must take responsibility for their poor performance in last Sunday's 26-6 loss to the Browns.
"It can't be on the coaches to hold the players accountable," Montgomery said Thursday. "It's got to be on the players to hold the players accountable—because if you want to be as good as you want to be, it's got to be a player-driven team.
"As much as the coaches can take accountability of what happened on Sunday, the coaches weren't out there playing. It was on us as an offense, us as a team, to get the job done. The play doesn't make the play; the player makes the play. As much as it's accountability on their end, it's accountability on our end. We've got to do better as players."
Moving forward, Montgomery is convinced that the Bears possess the inner fortitude to rebound from their disappointing Week 3 defeat.
"I'm always going to be confident, regardless of what the situation may be," he said. "We have 14 games left. I think a lot of times we forget that. That's a lot of opportunities for us to showcase that we can be good once we put everything together. I'm excited and my confidence level is still high."
Injury update: For the second straight day Thursday, rookie quarterback Justin Fields (right thumb) was a full participant in practice; veteran quarterback Andy Dalton (knee) and receiver Darnell Mooney (groin) were limited; and outside linebacker Khalil Mack (foot), safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. (hamstring), linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe (hamstring) and tight end Jesse James (personal) did not practice.
After being limited Wednesday, nose tackle Eddie Goldman (knee) worked out without restrictions Thursday. Cornerback Xavier Crawford sat out with a back injury.
Bouncing back: Fields' teammates have been impressed with how the rookie has responded following last Sunday's loss to the Browns. Under constant pressure in his first NFL start, the rookie quarterback completed 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards while being sacked nine times.
"When you go through a day like we went through on Sunday, that's tough on everybody, especially the quarterback and especially for your first start," said tight end Cole Kmet. "It's been cool to see his attitude towards it and him wanting to get back to work this week. I'm still excited for him. He's an unbelievable player and I think that's going to show."
"He's a very composed individual," Montgomery said. "He continues to show me how composed and calm he is under rapid-pressure situations. That's a rare thing to find in somebody so young. Even with this week, beyond the naysayers or what everyone else is saying outside the building, he's still composed. That's the biggest thing you see out of him."
Those who know Fields are confident that the first-round pick from Ohio State will rebound from what transpired in Cleveland.
"I think he'll bounce back," said cornerback Jaylon Johnson. "We all believe that. We know the type of person Justin is, the way he looks at football, his competitive nature. For us, there's no hesitation that he's going to keep bouncing back and keeping fighting for everything he wants."
Bombs away: Pat O'Donnell's 56.7-yard average on seven punts last Sunday against the Browns was his second highest in 114 career games with the Bears. The only outing that topped it was when he averaged 57.4 yards on five punts in the high altitude of Denver in a 2019 win over the Broncos.
"I thought he punted really well," said special teams coordinator Chris Tabor. "It was kind of one of those games where you had to try to flip the field position. You're going to give up some return yards when you do that, but you kind of have to weigh that, and I thought he punted well."
O'Donnell enters Week 4 ranked fourth in the NFL with a 50.2-yard gross average.
"He is playing well," Tabor said. "He's a guy who's worked on his craft for a lot of years. I just think he's getting better and better each week and he's playing with good confidence. Especially early on in the year, if you have to flip the field and the ball's going to fly, he has a big time leg."
With the Bears preparing to play the first of five October games Sunday, senior writer Larry Mayer ranks their 10 most impressive October wins over the previous 10 seasons.

(10) Bears 24, Buccaneers 18
Oct. 23, 2011 in London
In the Bears' first regular-season game overseas, Matt Forte rushed for 145 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries and the defense intercepted four Josh Freeman passes, including one apiece by Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs.

(9) Bears 27, Ravens 24 (OT)
Oct. 15, 2017 in Baltimore
Jordan Howard rushed for 167 yards, including a 53-yard run in overtime that set up Connor Barth's winning 40-yard field goal after the Ravens had forced overtime with a TD and two-point conversion with 1:37 left in regulation.

(8) Bears 20, Vikings 10
Oct. 31, 2016 in Chicago
Akiem Hicks registered 2.0 sacks to lead a Bears defense that compiled 5.0 sacks of quarterback Sam Bradford and held the Vikings to 2-of-13 on third-down plays in an impressive Monday night win at Soldier Field.

(7) Bears 34, Panthers 29
Oct. 2, 2011 in Chicago
Matt Forte ran for a career-high 205 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries, D.J. Moore returned an interception 20 yards for a score and Devin Hester brought back a punt 69 yards for a TD.

(6) Bears 34, Cowboys 18
Oct. 1, 2012 in Dallas
Jay Cutler threw for 275 yards with two touchdowns and a 140.1 passer rating and the Bears defense intercepted five Tony Romo passes, two of which were returned for TDs by Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs.

(5) Bears 23, Panthers 22
Oct. 28, 2012 in Chicago
The Bears erased a 19-7 deficit midway through the fourth quarter as Tim Jennings returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown and Robbie Gould booted a game-winning 41-yard field goal as time expired.

(4) Bears 41, Jaguars 3
Oct. 7, 2012 in Jacksonville
The Bears snapped a 3-3 halftime deadlock by outscoring the Jaguars 38-0 in the second half. Jay Cutler threw two TD passes and Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs returned interceptions for touchdowns.

(3) Bears 17, Panthers 3
Oct. 22, 2017 in Chicago
The Bears defense registered five sacks, three takeaways and the game's only two touchdowns as rookie safety Eddie Jackson scored his first two career TDs on a 75-yard fumble return and a 76-yard interception return.

(2) Bears 18, Chiefs 17
Oct. 11, 2015 in Kansas City
Jay Cutler threw two touchdown passes in the final 3:05, including a game-winning 7-yarder to Matt Forte with :18 to play, as the Bears rallied from a 17-6 deficit late in the fourth quarter.

(1) Bears 20, Buccaneers 19
Oct. 8, 2020 in Chicago
Cairo Santos kicked a 38-yard field goal with 1:13 remaining and DeAndre Houston-Carson broke up Tom Brady's fourth-down pass with :33 to play as the Bears edged the eventual Super Bowl champions.