The Chicago Bears are almost six weeks away from playing live football again in front of a crowd at Soldier Field. The team will open their preseason at home against the Miami Dolphins on August 14th. Despite the game being scheduled for noon when almost all preseason games are regularly played at night, the Bears could see a record turnout and record tv viewership for their two preseason games this year.

Everyone In Chicago Will Want To See Justin Fields’ Debut

The main reason for the potential sell-out crowd will be the debut of Chicago’s first-round draft selection in Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Since being drafted 11th overall back in April, Fields has been arguably the most popular and most discussed first-round talent from this year’s draft. The rookie quarterback’s jersey is one of the most popular jerseys on the market and could skyrocket with a terrific debut against the Dolphins on August 14th.

Justin Fields in his Bears uniform and No. 1 jersey (via @ChicagoBears) pic.twitter.com/FmSIPFnKHD

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) June 15, 2021

According to Albert Breer, the Bears are expected to give Fields a lot of work in their preseason games. It likely means that the rookie quarterback could play two to three-quarters of football once starting quarterback Andy Dalton plays a few offensive series. Fields’ popularity coupled with the team projected to give him a lot of work during the preseason games could lead to one of the rare times that a Bears’ preseason game is played in front of a sold-out crowd.

The Chicago Bears plan to give “a lot of work" to rookie quarterback Justin Fields in the preseason games, per @AlbertBreer.

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) June 21, 2021

Even when the team had Mitchell Trubisky’s debut in his rookie season of 2017, there was never the level of anticipation for Trubisky that the fans currently have of Fields. Bears fans didn’t know what to expect from the 2017 first-round quarterback, which is why his performance against the Denver Broncos came as a surprise to many. Furthermore, fans could not come out to see Trubisky again until the final preseason game at home three weeks later. If Fields impresses in the first preseason game against the Dolphins, fans will have the opportunity to see him a week later at home against the Buffalo Bills, against the Bears’ former first first-round quarterback.

@ChicagoBears QB Mitchell "Don't Call Me Mitch" Trubisky shines in debut against @Broncos 18 of 25 166 yards 1 TD 0 INT🏈#ballers #nfl pic.twitter.com/iRLAy8Tadb

— Preston Elway 🏈♌ (@PrestonElway) August 11, 2017

Other External Factors Will Drive High Turnouts and TV Ratings For Bears’ Preseason

Although Fields will be the main on-field attraction driving attendance and rating for the Bears’ preseason games, there are a few external factors that will further amplify the team’s two preseason games. The August 14th game against the Dolphins will be the first Bears games to have fans in attendance since Chicago’s 2019 loss on December 22nd against the Kansas City Chiefs. With fans being allowed to attend live sporting events again, teams across the country are generating massive turnouts for games, including both the Cubs and White Sox.

#Bears announce that they will be at 100% capacity for the upcoming season. They will also host a limited number of fans for training camp in Lake Forest.

— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) June 16, 2021

The other factor that will lead to an increased crowd for the Bears’ two preseason games will be the team’s limited capacity for fans during training camp. 2021 will be the first year that the team will have training camp at Halas Hall, and it will be open to the public but will be in a limited capacity. With the high demand of fans to see Fields in any sort, many will have to either attend Chicago’s two preseason games or watch it via TV.

Since Draft night back in late April, the Bears have done a 180 in popularity and optimism by fans. Without Fields, the team’s preseason games would draw the average amount of fans seen for preseason games, with a potential uptick due to the end of COVID-19 restrictions. With one of the most popular rookie quarterbacks in recent years, the team could see one of the biggest preseason turnouts from an attendance and viewership standpoint.