LAKE FOREST, Illinois. — TJ Edwards recalls the feelings he had after the Bears’ Week 1 loss to the Packers to open the 2023 NFL season.

A 38-20 loss at Soldier Field to the NFC North rival left Edwards with a “bad feeling.”

“I definitely want us to get off to a fast start,” Edwards said. “I know we want to do that as a defense. As a team, we want to do that. That’s easier said than done. You have to go out there and do it.”

The 2023 Chicago Bears have gotten off to the exact opposite of a fast start – losing their first four games to start the season by a score of 137-75. The Bears know that can’t happen this season, especially knowing that the first of six divisional games against the NFC North is in Week 11 and spans the final 8 weeks of the season.

When head coach Matt Eberflus thinks about the upcoming season, he mentions that it’s all about finding a “rhythm” and that starts with the Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans.

“But really, you just have to boil it down to the first game and start fast,” Eberflus said. “That’s what all good teams do – they start fast. The teams that make the postseason start fast. Of course, you have to finish strong, but starting fast is always important in the NFL.”

The defense is set up for a fast start. This is the unit’s third year in Eberflus’ defense, and for players like Edwards, who is playing his second season with the Bears, that continuity is hugely important.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve said this before, chemistry is something that’s important in this league,” Edwards said. “Understanding how guys are going to play up front, understanding how the D-line fits certain things, and at backer, knowing how we fit each play. I think from that point last year to this year, it’s been a much different game. So I think we’re just a lot more comfortable. We’re feeling good with the coaches, completely understanding the scheme, getting the new guys settled in and going. So, I think honestly, the comfort level, the chemistry that we built in the offseason and now just understanding how our guys play, for sure.”

The defense has been superior to Caleb Williams and the offense since the start of training camp, which is to be expected for a variety of reasons. Having a defense that a rookie quarterback can rely on will only help Williams in his task.

Eberflus knows his quarterback has talent in his arm and can make plays on the move, but the head coach envisions Williams playing a certain way.

“In the early stages of the game and on the first few downs, all he’s going to be asked to do is play point guard, put on a great performance, play point guard, get the ball to our capabilities, either by handing it off or throwing it to them and letting them run and move and gain the yards,” Eberflus said. “It’s going to be important for our offensive line to play well, as I’ve said in the past, and for everyone to play well around them — that goes for defense and special teams as well. And then when you get to that point in the game where it’s a critical down or third down or in the red zone or whatever, then maybe you see the X-factor come out, and there it is. But again, he’s just specialized in the process of getting in and out of the huddle, being smooth and leading the offense.”

Not only does Eberflus want Williams to be used as a distributor, but so does General Manager Ryan Poles, who was asked on Wednesday about his expectations for the quarterback in his rookie season.

“I want him to rely on the talent around him and then when the time is right — and it’s an instinctive thing and I think it plays to him a lot — then you do that special thing and you balance that out,” Poles said. “And sometimes it gets out of balance one way or another, but you always come back to it. It’s kind of that neutral spot where he’s best, and I think he has that from studying him and watching years of tape of him. He has that ability and I think that’s the most important thing. Rely on the guys around him, be instinctive, make those wild plays happen at the right time. We saw that a little bit in the preseason. That’s going to be important.”

Eberflus and Poles see nothing wrong with Williams relying on the talent around him, and for the Bears to get off to a fast start, that might be the best formula to ensure the team can do that.