Justin Fields dazzled everybody last Sunday with his breakout game against the Miami Dolphins. He set an NFL regular season record with 178 rushing yards, threw three touchdowns, and ran for another. He was the best player on the field for the Chicago Bears. It’s hard to remember the last time anybody could say that about this team’s quarterback. Yet as is often the case, others are insisting that Fields is nothing more than a gimmick.
Most of his success comes when he scrambles. He’s not really beating teams with his arm or his mind. It is a low-hanging fruit since his passing yardage is below average for quarterbacks. Yet, in reality, Fields has improved far more than people realize. One stat proves this. Last season, he had a 78.9 passer rating with one touchdown and two interceptions against the blitz. It was his Achilles heel, and opponents knew it.
That is no longer the case. So far in 2022, Fields has a 100.1 passer rating with six touchdowns and two interceptions against the blitz. That includes all three of his TD throws on Sunday against Miami.
Justin Fields is outperforming superstars on this front.
Aaron Rodgers has an 86.7 rating against the blitz this year. Russell Wilson has a 65.4. Even the mighty Josh Allen has a modest 88.3. That should help illustrate how good the Bears quarterback has been. Beating the blitz isn’t just about him being a great athlete with a strong arm. Anybody that watches the tape will see him making the correct diagnosis of what is coming before the snap. He is rarely caught off guard like he was last season.
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That is the most exciting development in all of this. The best quarterbacks in the NFL win with their minds, not their arms. If defenses can’t fool Justin Fields anymore, they’re in big trouble. He took a 58 passer rating in September and raised it to 85 following last Sunday. That might be one of the single-biggest in-season turnarounds for a quarterback in modern Bears history. The scariest part is his best may still be to come with the hapless Detroit Lions on deck this week.
