Bear Necessities: How Justin Fields is preparing for wintry conditions at Soldier Field

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The NFL knew exactly what they were doing when they scheduled the Bears and Bills to play on Christmas Eve at Soldier Field. Now, thanks to a winter storm, we’re going to get it.

The forecast for today’s game calls for a high of 13 degrees with winds up to 30 mph with sub-zero wind chill. It’s got all of the makings for an old-school, smash-mouth football game.

For Bears quarterback Justin Fields, he’s excited to get to play in “Bear weather.”

“Yeah, I am excited,” Fields said. “It’s going to be my first time playing in that weather. It’s going to be fun.”

It’s certainly different from playing in a monsoon in the season opener against the 49ers. But for Fields, the lesson is the same.

“Just take care of the ball,” he said. “Of course, I fumbled on the first or second drive. That’s been the biggest thing, is ball security.”

The cold isn’t the biggest concern for Fields — he’s no stranger to that having played college ball at Ohio State.

“It’s just the wind,” Fields said. “The cold isn’t a big deal. Once the wind sarts going, that’s when it gets cold. Like, 20 degrees, no wind, I mean, you’re fine out there. But the wind, of course makes it cold.”

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said this week in practice they’ve “(mimicked) game conditions the best we can.”

The Bears and Bills are certainly no strangers to this weather.