Category: Latest Bears News

People are begging to see more of Bears rookie Justin Fields following debut

Bears rookie QB Justin Fields made his NFL debut against the Rams, and fans were left wanting more.

Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields made his NFL debut against the Rams. While it was in a backup capacity, Fields left many fans clamoring for more of Chicago’s hopeful franchise quarterback.

Fields made his first appearance on Chicago’s first offensive series, where he completed a 9-yard pass to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. He made a handful of appearances on offense.

But it wasn’t until the end of the third quarter that the Bears realized how to use Fields’ mobility to their advantage, when Fields kept the ball for a 3-yard score for his first NFL touchdown.

As you can imagine, Bears fans and NFL fans alike were clamoring to see more of Fields once he started making an appearance in the game. At this point, fans are just ready to see Fields as the starter — and Andy Dalton hasn’t even been as bad as people were expecting.

Bears finally realized how to use Justin Fields in red zone, and he scored his first NFL touchdown

The Bears finally realized how to utilize rookie Justin Fields in the red zone – and it didn’t involve a shovel pass.

While Bears quarterback Justin Fields didn’t get the start against the Rams, the rookie has seen the field on several occasions during Sunday night’s game. But it was his appearance late in the third quarter that proved to be his most impactful.

Fields’ first play in the first quarter was a 9-yard completion to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. But after that, Matt Nagy’s usage of Fields was questionable to say the least, including a shovel pass that left many fans frustrated.

But Nagy finally realized how to utilize his rookie quarterback on first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, when Fields kept the ball for a 3-yard score — his first NFL touchdown — to cap off an impressive 16-play, 81-yard drive that lasted 9:38.

The Bears trail the Rams 20-14 in the third quarter.

Bears LT Jason Peters questionable to return with quad injury

The Bears’ injury struggles at offensive tackle continued into the regular season as LT Jason Peters has suffered a quad injury.

The Chicago Bears’ injury struggles at offensive tackle have continued into the regular season.

Left tackle Jason Peters suffered a quad injury in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Rams, and Peters is officially questionable to return.

Peters, who was fishing just a month ago, was faring well at left tackle, where he had to contend with Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald at times.

With Peters out, fifth-round rookie Larry Borom gets the call at left tackle.

The Bears offensive line has done a solid job against a dominant Rams defensive front, where they’ve allowed just one sack on Dalton and cleared the way for running back David Montgomery to rush for 79 yards on 10 carries in the first half.

The Bears trail the Rams 20-7 in the third quarter.

Akiem Hicks, Robert Quinn record Bears’ first sack of the season vs. Rams

Akiem Hicks, along with Robert Quinn, took down Matthew Stafford deep in Rams territory for the Bears’ first sack of the season.

The last time Chicago Bears defensive end Akiem Hicks played against the Los Angeles Rams, he had a rough game filled with penalties and frustration in a bad loss. It’s safe to say his trip back has been much better for him since so far.

In the second quarter of Sunday night’s game, Hicks, along with outside linebacker Robert Quinn, took down quarterback Matthew Stafford deep in Rams territory for the Bears’ first sack of the season.

The sack halted momentum and helped cause a delay of game on the next play. The Rams would punt, giving the Bears excellent field position where they took advantage of the short field and scored a touchdown near the end of the first half on a run from David Montgomery.

At halftime, the Bears trail the Rams 13-7.

David Montgomery was on fire in 1st half, scored Bears first TD vs. Rams

Bears RB David Montgomery was made for Sundays. And he proved it during the first half of Chicago’s prime-time opener against the Rams.

Bears running back David Montgomery was made for Sundays. And he proved it during the first half of Chicago’s season opener against the Rams on Sunday Night Football.

Montgomery has 79 yards on 10 carries (7.9 average), which has included three runs of more than 10 yards — starting with a 41-yard run on Chicago’s first offensive series.

Montgomery is also responsible for the Bears’ first and only touchdown of the game — at least to this point — which came near the end of the first half with a 3-yard score to cap a 9-play, 55-yard drive to cut the Rams’ lead to 13-7.

The Bears trail the Rams 13-7 at halftime.

Bears rookie Justin Fields completes first NFL pass, then Andy Dalton tosses INT in end zone

Bears rookie Justin Fields’ first NFL play was a 9-yard completion. Just one play later, Andy Dalton tossed an interception in the end zone.

Bears fans were treated to their first look at rookie quarterback Justin Fields much sooner than even they expected — the first offensive series of Sunday’s game against the Rams.

Following a 41-yard run by running back David Montgomery that set the Bears up on the Rams’ 12-yard line, Fields entered the game on second-and-10, where he completed a 9-yard pass to wide receiver Marquise Goodwin.

While it looked like the Bears were primed for a touchdown on third-and-6 (after a Cole Kmet false start penalty), starting quarterback Andy Dalton tossed an ill-advised interception in the end zone to halt what was an impressive series.

You can’t make this stuff up.

As you can imagine, the cries for Fields have grown even louder following Dalton’s egregious mistake. It didn’t help that three plays later Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford threw a 67-yard touchdown to wide receiver Van Jefferson to give Los Angeles a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Rams lead the Bears 10-0 in the first quarter.

How the Bears could upset the Rams in Week 1

There’s not a lot of confidence that the Bears can beat the Rams, but there’s definitely a blueprint to a Chicago victory.

The Chicago Bears will battle the Los Angeles Rams to open the season, where the Bears will be looking to upset the heavily-favored Rams.

While there’s not a lot of confidence that Chicago can beat Los Angeles, there’s definitely a blueprint to a Bears victory. Now, whether Chicago executes is an entirely separate matter.

Here’s how the Bears could pull an upset over the Rams in Week 1.

Play in our FREE Week 1 Bears Challenge

Think you know the Bears well? Prove it! Join our new, FREE-TO-PLAY Bears Challenge.

Think you know the Bears well? Already have this week’s game against the Rams all figured out?

Prove it! Join our new, FREE-TO-PLAY Bears Challenge.

Answer six questions below, plus a tie breaker correctly for your chance at winning a gift card through Daily Ticket, powered by Tipico Sportsbook.

Pick. Play. Win. Repeat. On Us.

You must be 21+ to enter. Terms and conditions apply, see website.

[chalkline game=”Bearswire-challenge”]

For additional free sports pick’em games to play, visit the game lobby at Daily Ticket.

Bears have small package of plays prepared for Justin Fields vs. Rams

While Justin Fields won’t be starting, Bears fans could catch a glimpse of the rookie QB in his first NFL action against the Rams.

When the Chicago Bears kick off their 2021 season against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, it’ll be Andy Dalton leading the Bears offense. Much to the disappointment of many, who believe rookie Justin Fields did enough to earn the starting job in Week 1.

Still, the belief is Fields will see the field sooner rather than later when he takes over as starter at some point this season. But while Fields won’t get the start on Sunday night, Bears fans could still very well catch a glimpse of their rookie QB in his first NFL action against the Rams.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears have a small package of plays prepared for Fields should Dalton struggle against the Rams.

“This is Andy Dalton’s team. He’s the starter,” Rapoport said. “However, based on what Justin Fields did in the preseason, based on his regimen, I am also told there is a small package of plays at Fields’ disposal. If Andy Dalton does great, you may not see it. If he struggles a little bit, do not be surprised if the Bears unveil a little bit of Justin Fields tonight.”

Earlier in the week, Rams head coach Sean McVay said his team was preparing the Bears to “utilize Justin Fields in some form or fashion” during Sunday’s opener.

While Fields’ NFL debut might not be in a starting capacity, rest assured the young rookie QB will soon get his time. But the opportunity to see Fields in a regular season game is certainly something that should have Bears fans excited.

[listicle id=480367]

[listicle id=480365]

[listicle id=480327]

Bear Necessities: Bears offense will face early test from Rams defense

The Bears offense has a chance to set the tone for the 2021 season. But it won’t be easy against a dominant Rams defense.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

As the Chicago Bears gear up for the start of their 2021 season, there’s not a whole lot of confidence surrounding the team. A big part of that has to do with the uncertainty on offense, which is coming off back-to-back unimpressive outings under Matt Nagy.

Last season, the Bears tied for 22nd in scoring (23.3 PPG) and ranked 26th in total yards (331.4). While there have been some improvements on offense — starting with the quarterback position, where Chicago added Andy Dalton and Justin Fields —  there’s still plenty of questions about what this Bears offense will actually look like, as the starting unit never played together in full during preseason.

Chicago’s offense has a chance to set the tone for the 2021 season when they take the field on Sunday night against the Rams. It certainly won’t be easy against a Los Angeles defense that ranked first in the NFL last season, allowing the fewest points (18.5) and yards (281.9) in the league.

“It’s a really good defense and we’re going to face a lot of good defenses this year and that’s why you play this game,” Dalton said. “This is why you prepare and the way you prepare and you get ready for these games because they all mean a lot. This is going to be a good test to start the year.”

History tells us the Bears are in for a rough outing against the Rams, as the offense has struggled over the past three meetings, where they’ve scored just two touchdowns on 35 possessions.

If Chicago stands a chance of upsetting the Rams, their offense is going to need to rise to the occasion and sustain drives, something we didn’t see out of this unit last year. One of the areas of focus for offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is converting third downs, which the Bears ranked 31st in the NFL with a 34.6 percent conversion rate in 2020.

“I think when you look at some of the things we committed to improving from last year, I’ll put third downs at the top of the list,” Lazor said.