The Chicago Bears won their second game of the season Sunday as they beat the Detroit Lions 24-14 at home. On Monday, head coach Matt Nagy faced severe criticism as he reiterated that veteran quarterback Andy Dalton would return as the starting quarterback when healthy. Although rookie quarterback Justin Fields performed well against the Lions, it does make sense why the Bears would want to go back to Dalton when healthy.

Matt Nagy reinforces that Andy Dalton is QB1 over Justin Fields when healthy 🧐 pic.twitter.com/w4SmkHmA1f

— PFF (@PFF) October 4, 2021

Andy Dalton Is The Better Option At Quarterback For the Bears In Their Next Three Games

Several reasons are driving the Bears’ commitment to want Dalton to start when healthy, with the main reason being the team’s next three opponents. Chicago will play their next three games against the Las Vegas Raiders, Green Bay Packers, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the games against the Raiders and Buccaneers being on the road. The Bears will face three Pro Bowl and future Hall of Fame quarterbacks in Derek Carr, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady.

Anybody else getting a weird feeling of deja vu seeing the #Bears falter and knowing Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are looming in back-to-back games?

— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) September 30, 2021

Following Chicago’s week three loss to the Browns, the Bears’ front office and coaching staff was criticized harshly on a national level for their offensive game plan and lack of protection for Fields. Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace were mocked and chastised for the Bears’ historically poor offensive performance that saw their rookie quarterback sacked nine times. All three games will be difficult for the Bears regardless of who is at quarterback, but the attention for all three games will be heavily increased with Fields starting instead of Dalton.

Former NFL QB Dan Orlovsky: "The Chicago Bears should fire Matt Nagy today."

Former NFL safety Ryan Clark: "Dear Mitch Trubisky, I was wrong. It was not your fault."

Former NFL HC Rex Ryan: "This is absolutely ridiculous. You are going to get him killed."

(Via ESPN's Get Up)

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) September 27, 2021

Nagy and his coaching staff will look to avoid having Fields face Carr, Rodgers, and Brady because everything the rookie does against the three will be dissected and compared extensively to the play of the elite quarterbacks. Furthermore, any negative performance by the Bears’ rookie quarterback will not be attributed to the rookie but to the coaching staff and front office that is failing to develop him. The Packers game and Buccaneers game will both be Fox and CBS’s Game of the Week games as the networks will have their lead announcing crews assigned to the games.

The other reason why the Bears’ coaching staff may feel compelled to go back to Dalton is that the veteran quarterback has not done anything to lose his starting position. The former Pro Bowl quarterback was performing well as Chicago’s starting quarterback through the first six quarters of the season before his knee injury. Although Dalton threw an interception on the first offensive drive of the season, the Bears did not have a single three and out while he was on the field against the Rams and Bengals.

The Bears have a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter, posting 69 yards of offense. Andy Dalton was 7-of-8 for 41 yards and a touchdown. David Montgomery carried five times for 22 yards.

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) September 19, 2021

Furthermore, Dalton was protecting the ball and making it a point of getting everyone involved on offense. In the season-opening loss to the Rams, Chicago’s veteran quarterback completed passes to eight different receivers, with four catching four or more passes. Dalton also has done a quality job of avoiding pressure as he has only been sacked four times on 53 pass attempts. The veteran has either been able to get the ball out quick or has been able to scramble for a first down.

Fields, Despite Showing Signs Of Elite Play, Still Is Showing Signs Of Inexperience

Fields has played ten quarters in the NFL and has made back-to-back starts under his belt during his rookie season. Despite being sacked nine times against the Brown last week, the rookie quarterback was only sacked once against the Lions. Fields displayed his strong arm talent as he completed five passes of 20 yards or longer, including a 64-yard pass to wide receiver Darnell Mooney in stride.

JUSTIN FIELDS AND DARNELL MOONEY CAN’T BE STOPPED
pic.twitter.com/kVx8gncTke

— PFF (@PFF) October 3, 2021

Although there were several positive takeaways from the Lions’ game, Fields continued to make mistakes that have been repeated during the Bears’ last three games. The rookie quarterback had a third straight game in which he failed to pick up a blitzing defender resulting in him taking a vicious hit. Although the Lions had a free defender blitzing Chicago’s rookie quarterback several times, Fields avoided a nasty hit by spinning away from the defender. The problem remains that the rookie quarterback is not spotting the blitzing defender before the snap and is not getting the ball out quickly enough to avoid an impending hit.

Fields also continues to fail when it comes to protecting the football as he now has fumbled the ball in two of the three games he has played. Even more troubling is that the rookie has fumbled or thrown an interception in the fourth quarter of two games. Against the Bengals, Fields was intercepted deep in Bears territory resulting in a Cincinnati touchdown. Against the Lions, the rookie quarterback was stripped of the football resulting in a 20-yard loss and nearly changing the momentum of the game.

Obviously, you never want to fumble but man the effort from Justin Fields on this play is awesome to see.pic.twitter.com/qBJ6cYA9Uq

— dave (@runbackdave) September 20, 2021

The lack of protecting the football and identifying the blitzing defender is troublesome as both appear to be recurring trends. Moving forward, opposing defensive coordinators will game plan to take advantage of Field’s inexperience, which will result in more turnovers and sacks against the Bears offense. Chicago has an opportunity to have their rookie quarterback sit for a few more games and allow a proven veteran in Dalton to lead the Bears’ offense for the next three games.

All 9 of the #Browns sacks on Justin Fields.
Best & Worst Week 3 is live on YThttps://t.co/GuMG5iPyJt pic.twitter.com/l77bjFCTnd

— ThatsGoodSports (@BrandonPerna) September 27, 2021

Those believing Fields should play regardless have yet to acknowledge the crucial mistakes he has repeatedly made over the last three weeks. Those mistakes haven’t garnered attention because the rookie quarterback has recovered both fumbles and has avoided serious injury. If Fields continues to make those mistakes, sooner or later, the opposing defense will recover a fumble in the fourth quarter. Even worse, if the quarterback fails to identify the free blitzing defender, he would miss significant time.

The repeatable mistakes matter to a Bears’ organization that could be drastically changed depending on the outcome of the season. With that pressure, it makes sense that the coaching staff would want to return to Dalton for the short-term future to give Fields more time to learn from the sideline. The rookie quarterback is the future for the Bears and should be the starting quarterback by the season’s end, but he still is showing to be raw when it comes to the detailed aspects of playing quarterback, and that is vital for a Bears’ coaching staff in jeopardy.