LAKE FOREST – Bears coach Matt Eberflus met with reporters Monday at Halas Hall after his team not only lost 19-13 to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday but also lost a few key players, including quarterback Justin Fields.

Eberflus and his staff will need to make quick adjustments before hosting the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Here are the three biggest takeaways from Eberflus’ media session Monday.

On his confidence in backup quarterback Tyson Bagent

Bagent will lead the offense after Fields dislocated his throwing hand thumb against the Vikings. Bagent came in for Fields during the third quarter and led the Bears to a touchdown but also turned the ball over twice.

Eberflus is confident Bagent is the right person to start for however long Fields is out.

“I think that you give him credit,” Eberflus said of Bagent stepping in Sunday. “He’s a backup quarterback, a young guy, I think he came in there and had poise. He was dealing with a team that pressured a ton during that game, and I thought he really settled in and had poise.”

Bagent’s NFL debut had mixed results. He fumbled the ball away on his first series, and the Vikings returned it for a touchdown. Bagent also threw an interception late in the game when the Bears tried to come back and win.

The rookie from Division II Shepard University looked his best when he led the Bears on a 77-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Bagent completed back-to-back impressive passes to DJ Moore that moved the ball down the field and capped it with a 1-yard run up the middle. He completed 10 of his 14 attempts for 83 yards.

Eberflus doesn’t think the offense will need to change much based on Bagent taking over.

“His work habits, his functional intelligence on the football field, his acumen in the classroom being able to operate is very high,” Eberflus said. “He’s able to chunk a bunch of information together and simplify in his mind to understand concepts. I think his release is really quick. I like that. I like how he sees the field. He’s very patient, very poised in there and it’s a good opportunity for Tyson.”

On new defensive analyst Phil Snow

Eberflus announced that former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Snow will join the Bears’ defensive staff as an analyst.

“Obviously, 40-something years of experience in college and the pros, been a defensive coordinator at both levels,” Eberflus said. “We certainly welcome him and his experience.”

Snow will do advance scouting for the next week’s opponent and give the coaching staff personnel updates, tendencies and summaries of all the situations during the course of the week. He’ll be at Halas Hall during the week but won’t be a coach on the sidelines during games.

“I think that you give him credit. He’s a backup quarterback, a young guy, I think he came in there and had poise. He was dealing with a team that pressured a ton during that game and I thought he really settled in and had poise.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

Snow was with Carolina from 2020 until he was fired after five games in 2022 with former head coach Matt Rhule. The Panthers were 11-27 during his time with the team.

Eberflus connected with Snow many years ago at the NFL Scouting Combine through former Bears defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and is excited to bring Snow’s experience to the staff.

“He’s a great person,” Eberflus. “He’s very humble, he works well with others. He gives sound advice, and he’s done a good job where he’s been in terms of having good defenses, for sure.”

On more Bears injuries

Eberflus announced that right guard Nate Davis had a high-ankle sprain and will be out against the Raiders after suffering the injury against the Vikings. Davis is considered week-to-week.

Davis has been in and out of the lineup this season after signing with the Bears over the offseason. He was inactive against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 and didn’t play against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. He played in all the offensive snaps against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders in Week 4 and 5, respectively, before suffering Sunday’s injury.

Eberflus also said cornerback Terell Smith will be out for three to four weeks with mono.

Eberflus didn’t have any updates on left tackle Braxton Jones, who was placed on injured reserve with a neck injury Sept. 20. Jones’ 21-day window to return to the active roster could open, but Eberflus didn’t have anything to add about when Jones could come back.