The Chicago Bears made a statement with a 19-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1.
Despite a brutal first-half outing, quarterback Justin Fields helped lead his team to a comeback win, orchestrating three unanswered touchdown drives in the second half that showed his playmaking ability and how he helps elevate the offense.
But believe it or not, there are people, not named Mike Martz, who actually watched the entire game and formed an opinion of Fields based off that.
In fact, MMQB’s Conor Orr handed out his game ball for Week 1 to Fields following his “heroic” performance in Sunday’s upset win.
I am infamous in Bears Twitter for my repeated pleas for Fields to escape Chicago. That said, he played a heroic game on Sunday that means little in terms of large-scale takeaways, but highlights his all-around skill set. With Soldier Field resembling some pre-revolutionary battle swamp, Fields made a few throws, created a few plays and upset one of the best teams in football.
Fields’ stat line was pedestrian — 8-of-17 for 121 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a 85.7 passer rating– but this is the perfect example of why context matters.
Fields’ offensive line and receiving corps didn’t do much to help him against a dominant 49ers defensive front. He was under duress often and his receivers struggled to get separation.
But things changed in the second half. Fields made magic out of nothing during one play in the third quarter, when the pocket collapsed and he found Dante Pettis for a 51-yard touchdown on a scramble drill.
He followed that up with another touchdown pass to Equanimeous St. Brown, followed by a Khalil Herbert rushing touchdown, thanks to an Eddie Jackson interception, to seal the game.
Fields had a rocky performance, which wasn’t entirely surprising given the conditions — both weather and matchup-wise. But it was his ability to make something out of nothing and lead his team back from the brink of a brutal loss that has people impressed.
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