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In the first three weeks of the 2023 NFL season, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields completed 51 of 88 passes (58.0%) for 528 yards (6.0 YPA), three touchdowns, four interceptions, and a passer rating of 67.8. Fields was throwing his coaches under the bus (somewhat justifiably), offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and head coach Matt Eberflus were on the chopping block, and Chicago’s season looked like a lost cause.
Then, in his next two games against the defenses of the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders, Fields looked like a completely different guy. He completed 43 of 64 passes (67.2%) for 617 yards (9.7 YPA), eight touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 131.3. Was Fields playing at a new level with more expansive passing concepts from Getsy? Yes, but Fields was also going up against two bad, overwhelmed defenses, and that was especially true in Chicago’s 40-20 win over the Commanders on Thursday night.
Even when Fields was unable to connect with his receivers, it didn’t matter — he completed 15 of 29 passes against Jack Del Rio’s defense for 282 yards, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 125.3. Most disconcerting for the Commanders was Fields’ ability to create explosive plays — both on long passes, and shorter passes in which Washington’s defense simply fell apart.
On Friday, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, head coach Ron Rivera seemed bereft of answers.
Rivera cited the choices in defensive play calls. He mentioned the possibility of allowing some defensive players more liberties with their techniques — or even mandating that players adhere to certain techniques. He also said players need to be more disciplined.
“We’ve got to stop trying to do more than we need to and do our jobs,” he said.
Well, when you’re not put in positions to succeed, maybe it is time for a soft mutiny. Washington’s defensive players were loath to blame their coordinator, but when you watch the tape, it’s clear that the concepts Del Rio is giving his players aren’t working.
“It’s nothing on Del Rio. He made good calls today,” defensive end Chase Young said, adding, “It’s on us as players. [We’ve] just got to start faster and hold each other accountable.”
“We played terrible,” safety Darrick Forrest said. “We just got to be better.”
“We look at ourselves like a top-five defense in the league,” safety Kam Curl said. “We’re not playing like that right now, so we’re just looking for a solution to change that.”
The solution for Del Rio would be to give his players better answers to the test. If not, the solution for the Commanders would be to find someone who can.