The Justin Fields era is officially underway in Chicago, where the rookie quarterback will be the permanent starter moving forward.
Fields’ first three NFL starts have been anything but ideal. Especially in terms of the number of hits he’s taken against two physical defenses in the Browns and Raiders.
Through the first five weeks, including the Bengals game where he played a half, Fields has thrown for 458 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and a 51.4 completion percentage. He’s added 20 rushes for 59 yards and a touchdown on the ground. But when evaluating a rookie quarterback, it’s not always about the box score, as has been the case with Fields.
There’s plenty of blame to be placed on Matt Nagy for the Cleveland game, where Chicago had their worst offensive outing in 40 years and Fields was sacked nine times. But there’s been a noticeable shift since Nagy handed over play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, where we’ve seen the best (deep-ball accuracy and toughness) and worst (holding onto the ball too long) of Fields on display. Every week has presented a new challenge for Fields, and he’s progressed in every game.
Following the disaster that was the Browns game, Fields showed his mental toughness in bouncing back with the best game of his young career against the Lions, where he showcased his impressive deep-ball accuracy with five passes of 15-plus yards to Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney.
The Raiders game was more of a physical test than anything, as Fields was battered by Las Vegas’ defensive front. He took a shot to the ribs and returned to throw his first NFL touchdown. Fields also hyperextended his knee in the second quarter sitting in the pocket and delivering a third-down strike to Robinson. While Fields came out of the game, he returned three plays later and finished out the game. Fields avoided serious injury and showed his toughness in sticking it out.
The Bears have made it a point not to put too much on Fields early on, as they’ve establish an offensive identity of running the ball and not asking Fields to go out there and win a game. That could certainly change, especially with the Packers and Buccaneers on deck, but it’s worked so far.
Since taking over as the starting quarterback in Week 3, Fields is the only rookie quarterback with a winning record at 3-2. Granted, he’s benefited from a top 10 defense. But it’s proof the Bears can win football games with Fields and develop him at the same time, something that was probably a point of contention with Nagy insisted Dalton start.
Ultimately, Fields has had and will continue to go through rookie growing pains. It’s part of the process. But we’ve seen what Fields brings to the offense, even as Chicago remains committed to establishing the run and not putting the pressure on Fields right away, as it should be. The Bears can win games with Fields and, eventually, they’ll win because of him.
But what are your thoughts? Share your early evaluation of Fields in our comment section below.