Perhaps what made last Sunday at Soldier Field wasn’t the 33-22 loss to Arizona or even the ugly weather. It was the overall lack of interest in the game itself. The Bears were already on life support in regards to the playoff chase. At that point, the only real reason many fans are interested in watching this team play is the presence of Justin Fields. They want to see the promising rookie QB continue to progress.
Sadly he wasn’t able to make a go of it due to his lingering rib injury. What was initially thought to be a bruise situation was later revealed as cracks. Anybody who has had this ailment in the past can attest to one thing. It is painful. For a quarterback who has to contort his body on throws and take constant hits from defenders every week? This sort of injury is more than a little problematic.
Still, there remains some optimism that he might be able to play next Sunday.
Or at least there was. Based on what Matt Nagy had to say at his Monday press conference, there isn’t much certainty in that regard. Trainers continue to monitor Fields’ health status. Though he did practice all of last week, it was only on a limited basis. Nagy indicated a lot of this comes down to a pain tolerance issue. Given the injury history Fields already has with his ribs? That could take a bit longer to clear up.
From the way Nagy spoke, it sounds like Andy Dalton will continue to get the starter reps this week. That is until the coaches get the all-clear from the training staff that the rookie is ready to resume practicing fully. Fields is plenty tough and no doubt wants to play. However, this is the sort of situation he must be smart and listen to his body. Especially in a season where there is little left to play for.
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Justin Fields situation will become clear by Friday
People will be watching the injury reports this week. If he continues practicing on a limited basis, it can be a safe assumption the wait will continue for another. That means fans will get to see Dalton on national TV in Green Bay. Exactly what everybody envisioned back in April, right? By waiting, the Bears would not play again until the following Monday night at Soldier Field against the Minnesota Vikings.
From there, Justin Fields would have four games left to finish out the season on a high note. That feels like the safe play for the team at this point. Keep in mind that cracked ribs tend to take around six weeks to completely heal. He suffered the injury against Baltimore just over two weeks ago. So a return against the Packers would be much sooner than normal.
That may discourage Bears fans, but it might be for the best.
Then again, Fields is a competitor. If he feels the pain has subsided enough at a certain point, it is likely he will push to play. That has always been his mental makeup. The next few days are going to be interesting to watch.