After a taxing, chaotic and winless September, the Bears welcome a fresh start, a new month and a chance to regroup

CHICAGO — So that was September, huh?

Could it have gone any worse for the Chicago Bears?

Seriously. Are the 0-3 Bears really walking into October as Week 4 underdogs — at home against a winless opponent that lost its last game by 50 points?

Are they really 342 days removed from their last victory?

Do they really have 14 games remaining in a suddenly sullen season with a quarterback whose confidence clearly has been shaken? Without a defensive coordinator? With a coach who has a .150 winning percentage during his tenure?

Wasn’t it just three weeks ago that the Bears were on the entrance ramp to their season opener, fired up to face the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers in a home game that seemed to have springboard potential for the organization?

Wasn’t there hope and optimism pumping through Chicago that Justin Fields was on the verge of a much-anticipated Year 3 breakthrough?

Wasn’t there widespread belief that, with the offseason roster overhaul, the Bears were at least in position to become much more competitive and ready to travel several floors upward on their ascent toward relevance?

Instead, when the elevator doors opened, the Bears enthusiastically stepped in but there was no car waiting. The hoped-for trek upward instead became another dizzying descent during a three-week stretch that has filled Halas Hall with a combination of frustration, tension, awkwardness and uncertainty.

The Bears are preparing to play the Denver Broncos on Sunday at Soldier Field with coach Matt Eberflus amplifying his calls for focus and energy.

Eberflus also gathered his 19-player leadership council this week with directives to heighten the team’s fight. “I feel really good about the look in their eye,” he said.

Specifically, though, what kind of fight is he