After making his Bears debut for a small package of plays in Week 1, rookie quarterback Justin Fields saw a significant amount of action in Week 2 against the Bengals after Andy Dalton exited with a knee injury.
Fields played in the final minutes of the second quarter and the entire second half, where his performance was shaky and to be expected from a rookie being thrust into the action without starter preparation.
There were penalties, offensive line miscommunication, a nearly-lost fumble and a costly interception that kept the Bengals in the game when it should’ve been out of reach.
Fields also wasn’t helped by his receivers, who dropped their share of passes. The worst was Allen Robinson’s drop in the end zone, which would’ve put the game further out of reach for the Bengals.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy was impressed by his rookie’s performance, especially given he was thrown into the fray in the middle of the game.
“I thought he did a heck of a job,” Nagy said. “There’s a lot of stuff he will learn from watching the tape.”
While his coach might’ve been pleased, Fields certainly wasn’t. He knows he can play better, and it sounded like a promise he’ll deliver for Chicago.
“I’m not pleased with how I played at all,” Fields said. “There’s a lot more in me that I need to show… Whatever happens, I’m meant for this. I’m meant to be here.”
You gotta love this answer from Justin Fields.pic.twitter.com/iDhpv6HCBS
— BFR (@BearsFilmRoom) September 19, 2021
There are going to be growing pains with Fields in his rookie season. But the only way for him to learn is to make those mistakes and get those reps that he hasn’t been getting.
Dalton’s status for Week 3 is uncertain following his knee injury. But if Dalton is cleared for action, you have to wonder how the Bears will handle this situation.
Now that Fields has seen his first action, will Matt Nagy choose to roll with the rookie or stick with Dalton? That remains to be seen. But Nagy sounds comfortable with Fields if Dalton remains sidelined with his knee injury.
“He’s farther along than we thought he’d be at this point,” Nagy said of Fields. “…We feel good with him.”
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