The end result of the game wasn’t what anybody wanted. Losing 33-22 is never fun. It was the latest sign that the Chicago Bears are trending in the wrong direction. Their roster is among the oldest in the league and now they can’t compete with teams considered among the best in the NFL. However, people don’t seem overly depressed by this. That is because they may have caught their first glimpse of what Justin Fields can become.
The 11th overall pick has endured a tough start to his career. Facing a brutal schedule of solid defenses, he saw games where he got sacked nine times and turned it over five times. Enduring brutal showings like that might’ve shaken the confidence. Not Fields apparently. He responded to the Bucs game with his best performance yet, compiling 278 total yards and two touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers.
None of his plays were bigger than his magical 21-yard scramble TD in the 4th quarter.
Nothing about that play should’ve worked. It was dead on arrival. San Francisco defensive end Arik Armstead shot upfield and had the QB squarely in his sights. Fred Ward had Khalil Herbert covered in the flat as well. There was nowhere to go. Then Fields took matters into his own hands, breaking four different tackles and weaving his way for the score. After the game, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa still couldn’t believe that happened.
“Arik (Armstead) had him around the ankles. You don’t think you need to keep contain at that point, but obviously he’s super athletic and strong. He’s definitely going to have a good career.”
He wasn’t the only one with that kind of reaction. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about Fields after the game. When talking briefly about the Bears rookie, the one play he went back to was that 4th and 1 scramble. He called it one of the more impressive plays that he’s seen. A high compliment from someone of his tenure in the NFL.
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Justin Fields was great most of the game
Sure he still had those rookie moments, looking a bit unsettled in the pocket and making the occasional iffy decision. Even so, his performance was excellent. He completed 70% of his passes, became the first Bears QB to rush for over 100 yards since the early 1970s, and made money plays all game. His lone interception actually went through the hands of his wide receiver in the final minutes.
That was the first true indication that Justin Fields is beginning to adjust to the speed of the NFL. The game wasn’t too fast for him. He was too fast for the game. He looked like the player the Bears traded up to get. There will still be more bumps in the road. This team needs a ton of work to improve the offense but it looks like they may finally have the most vital piece of the puzzle.
The next step is finding him some help.
That should include better receivers, better blocking, and most likely better coaching. It can’t be a coincidence that Fields has his best game away from the all-seeing eyes of Matt Nagy. This offensive system isn’t built to take advantage of what the QB does well. At least not when the head coach has a hand in it. Whether it is Ryan Pace or somebody else, they need to get these problems fixed.