CHICAGO (AP) — The Denver Broncos came in reeling from a 50-point blowout and looked like they were headed toward another lopsided loss.

Russell Wilson sensed a rally was on the way.

“I knew how we left the locker room at halftime and how we stepped on the field in the second half that we were gonna fight our way back,” he said.

Wilson threw for three touchdowns, Wil Lutz kicked a tiebreaking field goal with just under two minutes remaining and the Broncos bounced back from one of the most lopsided losses in franchise history by rallying to beat the Chicago Bears 31-28 on Sunday.

Denver (1-3) was coming off a 70-20 blowout by Miami that was the franchise’s second-worst loss of the Super Bowl era, behind only a 51-0 pounding by the Raiders in 1967.

Lutz's 51-yarder capped a comeback from a 28-7, third-quarter deficit. Kareem Jackson then intercepted Justin Fields with the Bears (0-4) near midfield, and coach Sean Payton picked up his first win with Denver.

“Everybody just believed,” Wilson said. “It was a beautiful demonstration of resilience."

Chicago looked like it was headed toward an easy win, leading by 21 after Fields threw a 2-yard touchdown to Khalil Herbert late in the third quarter. Instead, the Bears dropped their 14th in a row since a Week 7 win at New England last season.

The Bears had a chance to break a 28-all tie late in the fourth quarter. Chicago opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 at the 18 rather than kick a field goal. Coach Matt Eberflus was confident the Bears would get the first down because of how effectively they were running the ball. But instead of keeping the drive going, Herbert got stopped.

Fields said he “loved” the decision to go for it. After all, he said, it showed “Coach has trust in us to convert in that situation.”

Fields threw for a career-high 335 yards and four touchdowns. He completed his first 16 passes and was 28 of 35.

“I think we were in a rhythm, (offensive coordinator) Luke (Getsy) was dialing it up," Fields said. "Guys were protecting up front. Receivers were getting open. We were definitely in a rhythm. At the end of the day, we lost the game so it really doesn’t matter.”

Wilson threw a 4-yard TD to Brandon Johnson near the end of the third and a 13-yarder to Courtland Sutton early in the fourth to make it a seven-point game.

The Bears then had the ball near midfield when Nik Bonitto strip-sacked Fields. Jonathan Cooper recovered the fumble at the 35 and returned it for the tying touchdown.

Wilson hit Marvin Mims Jr. with a 48-yard pass to the 33 on the next play. The Broncos took the lead when Lutz kicked his field goal with 1:51 remaining, and Jackson sealed it when he picked off a pass intended for Cole Kmet. Fans showered the Bears with boos as the game ended.

Wilson threw for 223 yards. The nine-time Pro Bowler completed 21 of 28 passes.

“I don't think he blinked once,” Cooper said. “Everybody kept their composure. Everybody stuck together, kept fighting, and that's what a team does.”

Jaleel McLaughlin ran for 72 yards and caught a touchdown pass for Denver.

“There'll be some tough tape tomorrow," Payton said. "I don't want to sugarcoat anything. We're gonna play a lot better teams on our schedule. And no disrespect to Chicago and Matt (Eberflus) and what they're trying to do. I'm sure the feeling's the same here. But I think the win was important for the group.”

DJ Moore caught eight passes for 131 yards and a touchdown for Chicago. Cole Kmet added 85 yards receiving and two TDs.

Herbert ran for 103 yards and caught a TD pass. But after getting blown out by Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Bears came up short again.

STILL STINGING

Cooper said the loss to Miami still stings. He called it “a chip that we're gonna carry for the rest of the season.”

STAY HOME

The Bears said they asked receiver Chase Claypool to stay home, after he told reporters during the week that he was not being put in the best position to succeed. Claypool has four catches for 51 yards and a touchdown in three games. The Bears acquired him from Pittsburgh for a second-round draft pick last season.

INJURIES

Broncos: RB Javonte Williams (hip) exited the game.

UP NEXT

Broncos: Host the New York Jets next Sunday.

Bears: Visit Washington on Thursday night.

Questionable decisions by Bears coaching staff play a role in heartbreaking loss to Broncos

CHICAGO (AP) — Bears coach Matt Eberflus praised his team's passion and energy. He said the team's execution was “really good in spots,” and that was “a big improvement.” He pointed to what he called “a lot good moments in there.”

It was quite the take on Chicago's 14th consecutive loss dating to last season, one in which the Bears blew a 21-point lead during an ugly finish that included a couple of questionable decisions by Eberflus and his coaching staff.

Justin Fields passed for a career-high 335 yards and four touchdowns, but he also had a fumble returned for a score and threw an interception on Chicago's final drive in a 31-28 loss to Denver on Sunday. The Bears led 28-7 after Khalil Herbert's 2-yard TD reception with 4:11 left in the third quarter.

“Obviously we're all very disappointed in this hard-fought battle that we had today and the outcome,” Eberflus said. “But I certainly can see things moving in the right direction for our football team.”

Chicago had a 28-21 lead when Fields was stripped on a sack by Nik Bonitto. Jonathan Cooper returned the fumble 35 yards for a tying touchdown with 6:55 left.

But the Bears (0-4) bounced right back, driving down the field on their next possession. Facing a third-and-5 at the Broncos 22, Herbert rushed for 4 yards with about three minutes to go.

After Denver (1-3) called timeout, Chicago lined up to go for it but then called timeout when it was unable to draw an offsides penalty.

“You get him up there like you’re going for it right away and you freeze, and you call timeout right before,” Eberflus said. “And then you get your best play available, because it gives you a little bit more time to get that best play going and making sure that ... we’re all good, and we’re set up for that moment.”

Instead of trying a tiebreaking field goal, the Bears had Fields line up in the shotgun for a read option. The quarterback handed the ball to Herbert, who was stuffed for no gain.

“Just didn’t go our way,” Fields said. “Missed the block back side, and just got to execute in that situation.”

Eberflus said he decided to go for it because he liked the way the team was running the ball. Asked about the decision to run out of shotgun instead of having Fields under center, Eberflus said they felt that was the best play at the time.

“Just because you know it’s about moving people off the ball and as we’ve been doing all day,” Eberflus said, “and we’ve just got to execute in that moment.”

After Wil Lutz kicked a 51-yard field goal for Denver with 1:46 left, Chicago had one last chance. But Fields was picked off by Kareem Jackson when the QB tried to find Cole Kmet over the middle on third-and-13.

What was left of a Soldier Field crowd of 62,220 booed vociferously as the final seconds ticked off.

“It hurts. ... We were on our way there at the end of the fourth but we just couldn’t get it done,” Kmet said.

Chicago and Carolina are the last winless teams in the NFL through Week 4, and the Bears own the Panthers' first-round selection in the 2024 draft. But that's cold comfort for a Bears franchise dealing with all sorts of issues.

Wide receiver Chase Claypool was a healthy scratch after he told reporters during the week that he was not being put in the best position to succeed. He was acquired from Pittsburgh for a second-round draft pick last season.

The 25-year-old Claypool did not attend the game. After Eberflus indicated it was the receiver's choice, a team spokesman said the Bears asked him to stay home.

“Chase, he’s a weapon. He’s passionate,” Fields said. “He just has to work on his display of his emotions, and you know me and him have had multiple conversations with that. But I mean as far as do I want him on the team, that’s an easy answer. Yes, of course.”