As is often the case when a quarterback is struggling, two camps tend to form: the defense and the prosecution. One side argues all the reasons why the quarterback isn’t at fault, and the other side pokes holes in those arguments. That is the case with Justin Fields through six games. It isn’t new that the Chicago Bears QB is struggling. His passer rating is the second-lowest in the entire NFL, and he’s tied for the fewest touchdown passes.
His defenders have a clear argument for why that is. He’s surrounded by the worst supporting cast in the league. His offensive line can’t pass protection and his wide receivers drop too many of his accurate throws. Now there is some truth to this argument. Plenty of people in the national media agree the Bears offense lacks talent. However, more than a few aren’t as sympathetic. They believe Fields brings many of the problems on himself.
ESPN analytics expert Seth Walder is one of them. Fields is the most sacked (23) and pressured (31.2%) quarterback in football. Those numbers are concrete. Where Walder has a problem is who deserves most of the blame. He provided hard data suggesting Fields’ actions led to far too many of those sacks and pressures.
Justin Fields' high sack rate is mostly on him, not the Bears' offensive line.
Left: Fields' astronomical sack rate comes despite a strong Bears pass block win rate.
Right: Fields takes sacks late. He has only taken 5 sacks this year under the median sack time (4.29s). pic.twitter.com/Px1hct917q
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 18, 2022
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
These are all screenshots at 2.5 seconds after the snap on plays where Fields eventually took a sack. pic.twitter.com/KX6DtV7WlZ
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 18, 2022
Justin Fields does hold the ball too long.
Even his most ardent defenders admit as much. His worst tendency is not being willing to accept checkdowns to his tight ends and running backs when the bigger plays aren’t there. He actually has more completions of over ten yards (23) than he does between zero and nine (21). Part of that might be the feeling he can use his exceptional speed to escape when necessary. While valid, that mentality also opens him up to far more hits.
Yes, there are times when the offensive line suffers breakdowns in their protection. It’s not the most capable group. That said, there are more than a few instances of them forming an adequate pocket for Justin Fields to make throws. More often than not, he either takes a sack or takes off running. Both sides are at fault, but Fields is the only one in a position to do anything about it.
The offensive line can’t improve until at least next off-season. That means the quarterback has to do a better job getting the ball out of his hands. The longer this goes with Fields failing to make those adjustments, the more people in the organization may question if he ever will.
