According to people who only look at the box score, Justin Fields didn’t have a good game. They’ll see 8-of-17 for 121 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception and think he played poorly. Technically this is true. He did play poorly in the first half. The San Francisco 49ers defense swarmed him every time he dropped back. There was no time to survey. Several of his throws were off target. It was hard to watch. Still, the Chicago Bears were only down 7-0 at the half. It wasn’t out of reach.
After San Francisco notched a field goal to make it 10-0 to open the second half, Fields got the ball again. It didn’t start well. The drive would’ve ended in a 3-and-out if not for a costly 49er penalty. After a run for no gain and an incompletion, Fields faced 3rd and 10 from the 49-yard line. That is where the magic began. The Bears quarterback spun out of a sack, scrambled to his left, and found Dante Pettis wide open for a 51-yard touchdown.
That lit the fire.
After forcing a San Francisco punt, Fields got the ball back. He proceeded to have his best drive of the game. It started with a 22-yard strike to Byron Pringle. Then after a series of runs and a bad 49ers penalty, he faced 3rd and 2 from the 18-yard line. Fields found Equanimeous St. Brown for the touchdown and what was ultimately the game-winning pass. Yet the best part came right before the snap.
Watch #13 Pringle to the top of the screen. He points to the line of scrimmage. That is a signal for a run block. The Bears then run a play action, getting the 49ers to bite hard on the fake. St. Brown gets wide open, and Fields finds him for the dagger. An excellent play design coupled with a savvy veteran move by Pringle.
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Justin Fields was absolute money when it mattered.
When the Bears needed him to make some things happen, he answered with two huge touchdown passes against a top 10 defense in a monsoon. That is what good quarterbacks are supposed to do. It doesn’t matter if they play bad early as long as they answer the bell when it matters. Fields did that. He went 5-for-7 for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. That works out to a 153.27 passer rating.
In other words, Justin Fields was money when the chips were down. This game serves as a perfect example of what he can be. It comes down to whether the Bears can give him a good supporting cast. The good news is they likely aren’t going to face many better defenses than San Francisco. If he can weather that storm and still produce, there is no telling what will happen once the schedule eases.
Chicago needs to treasure this moment.
It felt like a noticeable shift in the winds. The Bears looked like a proper football team for the first time in years. They played hard, they played smart, and they played for 60 minutes. Their defense still looks good. If their quarterback is on the cusp of taking a big step forward, then it might not be wise to ignore them in December.
JF is starting in Russell Wilsons footsteps, except he has height to see more open lanes. He moves just as quick in mobility and he’s just starting out.
I have to disagree about JF1 playing poorly. The 49ers defense was living in the Bears offensive backfield for the entire first half and early part of the second! That’s not Fields fault. He had NO protection for quite a while. And once he started getting it everything improved markedly. Now THAT is the truth.
The best part of the second half was the number of penalties (few) the Bears had and the way the team looked fresh even in the 4th quarter. Last years Bears would have self destructed with penalties and lack of stamina.
Rain bowl baby!
Fields is a big play QB! ON to the second win in Green Bay!