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With Andy Dalton injuring his knee during Sunday’s 20-17 win over the Bengals, the Bears turned to rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Fields went 6-for-13 for 60 yards with an interception and a 27.7 passer rating.
Though the statline didn’t look great, Fields wasn’t terrible. He made a huge play at the end of the game scrambling on third-and-9, avoiding a sack, to put the game on ice for the Bears.
So, who should start?
Well, it’s hard to not start Fields after he’s seen meaningful time in the primary role. The Bears also can’t get to a point where they keep choosing between the two quarterbacks.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy doesn’t know if he’ll have Dalton next week, as he goes in for an MRI on his knee on Monday. If the option is there to pick one of the two quarterbacks, does Nagy go back to what he has tried for the first two weeks? Use Fields in package plays but have Dalton remain the starter?
The popular option with fans would be letting Fields play, but once he is given the keys to the offense, Nagy can’t bench him for Dalton. He will have to be the starter.
There will be growing pains if that is the case, which is something that will have to be played through. Fields will be the starter at some point anyway, why not let him learn a little bit on the field instead of on the sideline?
If Dalton is available for next Sunday’s game against the Browns, Nagy needs to wait before telling the media who the starter is. The Bears, as a team, should know by Tuesday, but the media shouldn’t. Most importantly the Browns shouldn’t know until the exact last possible moment.
Make Cleveland prepare for two quarterbacks. There’s no reason to give them a heads up early in the week if both Fields and Dalton are at Nagy’s disposal.
If Dalton is ruled out after his MRI, Fields will get his first career start next Sunday against the Browns. But if Dalton isn’t ruled out, Fields could very well still get his first start.
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