The Chicago Bears were victorious on Sunday over the New York Giants by a score of 29-3 in their home season finale. With one more game to go before an offseason that is likely to bring a head coaching change, the Bears will finish their season against the Minnesota Vikings. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields could start against Minnesota in Chicago’s season finale, and the game could provide Fields the chance to end a rollercoaster rookie season on a positive note.

We'll see how the week plays out, but it's Monday and it sure sounds like the #Bears' plan is to start Justin Fields in the season finale Sunday in Minneapolis.

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) January 3, 2022

Fields Is In Dire Need Of a Good Performance To End The 2021 Season

When Fields became the Bears’ starting quarterback in week 3 this year, he had arguably the worst debut a rookie quarterback could have. Against the Cleveland Browns, Chicago’s rookie quarterback only passed for 68 yards on six completions and was sacked nine times. The dominance displayed by the Browns defense was extremely concerning as Fields literally had no time to throw and consistently was under pressure.

Browns' Myles Garrett has 4.5 sacks today against the Bears, the most of any Cleveland player in franchise history in one single game.

The Browns have sacked Justin Fields eight times so far today. pic.twitter.com/hiwM2fHTx8

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 26, 2021

Since week three, The Bears’ offensive line has done a better job of protecting the rookie quarterback but has failed to find sustained success. Fields has started ten games for Chicago this season and has either thrown an interception or lost a fumble in eight games. The offense has scored 20 or more points in just five of the rookie’s ten starts in 2021.

Fields’ last start came against the Vikings on Monday Night Football back on December 20th, in which the Bears didn’t score a touchdown until the final play of the game. The former Ohio State quarterback did not play bad, but made several mental mistakes, including a costly sack and a lost fumble. Outside of the mistakes, Fields generated over 300 yards of offense for Chicago and consistently drove the offense deep into Vikings’ territory. Despite reaching the red-zone several times, the Bears’ offense walked away with just three points before scoring the touchdown at the end of the game.

Most yards thrown by a rookie QB during Monday Night Football.

1. Justin Fields (Week 9)
2. Justin Fields (Week 15)
3. Justin Herbert

— Max Markham (@MaxMarkhamNFL) December 21, 2021

If Fields starts against the Vikings in the final game of the season, he needs to have a game in which he avoids turnovers and other mistakes that have plagued him this season. The rookie quarterback must lead the Bears’ offense on several scoring drives that result in touchdowns. Fields also needs to show that he can take what the Vikings’ defense is giving him, just like he did two weeks ago. In the Monday night matchup two weeks ago, Chicago’s young quarterback completed 26 passes and had a quarterback rating of 96.6, both of which were season highs. The season-high for completions and quarterback rating demonstrates that Fields is improving as a quarterback.

Ending The Season In Quality Fashion Always Helps Leading Into The Offseason

A good performance and victory against the Vikings is vital for Fields’ growth as a quarterback heading into the offseason. Chicago’s first-year quarterback has struggled to get his team a win as he has compiled a 2-8 record as their starting quarterback. Despite winning back-to-back games in weeks 4 and 5, Fields has lost his last seven starts for the Bears. In Chicago’s seven losses, the rookie has flashed and made big plays but has also struggled noticeably at times.

Justin Fields looks good, takes the lead with a touchdown pass on a rollout.

Meanwhile, the rookie QB the #49ers picked ahead of Fields, isn't ready to play yet according to the coach that picked him.pic.twitter.com/uNKnOaxfKH

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) October 31, 2021

For Fields to end the season with a strong performance would give Chicago fans and NFL analysts confidence that the Bears selected the right quarterback with the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. From the time the Bears drafted the quarterback to when he became the starter in week 3, the former Ohio State quarterback has faced significant pressure to demonstrate a top-tier talent. The week 9 loss to Pittsburgh remains the best game in which Chicago’s quarterback displayed the potential to be a top-level quarterback.

Quality performances in season finales have helped prior first-round Bears’ quarterbacks, including Mitchell Trubisky. In Trubisky’s final game of his rookie season in 2017, he passed for 178 yards against a top-ranked Viking’s defense. Although the playoff-bound Vikings were victorious by a score of 23-10, Chicago’s rookie quarterback had a strong second half and nearly led his team to a comeback win. Twice in the fourth quarter, the rookie quarterback led the Bears’ offense to the Vikings’ goal-line but failed to score a touchdown on either drive.

Mitchell Trubisky had 7 TD passes in his rookie season. He’s go 6 today and there’s still over 10:00 to play in the 3rd quarter pic.twitter.com/WPNoe97dIB

— trey wingo (@wingoz) September 30, 2018

Despite the loss, many Bears’ fans and analysts felt confident that the team had a promising quarterback in Trubisky, as he battled consistently against a playoff-caliber team. A year later, Trubisky helped the Bears to the playoffs and made the Pro Bowl for his performance that season. Against the Vikings on this Sunday, Fields needs to demonstrate that he has grown from the start of this season to the end. A strong performance in Minnesota will also be beneficial for the future head coach that Chicago hires after current head coach Matt Nagy is let go at season’s end.

Sunday’s game against the Vikings will carry more significance for the Bears if Fields returns after missing the previous two games. With an offseason of significant changes looming, a win generated by Chicago’s rookie first-round quarterback would create massive momentum heading into the offseason. Fields needs a positive performance to end his rookie season as a strong performance could springboard the first-year quarterback into the 2022 season.