The Chicago Bears are trying to stay afloat in the NFC despite several punctures in the life raft. They’re 1-5 with a pivotal game on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, they will have to win it with rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent under center. Justin Fields dislocated his right thumb in the loss to Minnesota last weekend. Initial fears were he might require surgery to get it fixed. Thankfully that option was avoided. Rumors have suggested he could return after this week, but that hope appears dead.
Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported on Saturday that Fields is expected to miss multiple weeks with this injury. What isn’t clear is how many. If the Bears felt the injury was severe, he would be placed on short-term Injured Reserve. That he hasn’t suggests they’re holding out hope he could return sooner than the four games he would miss. This means the team is hoping he can be back for the road game in New Orleans on November 5th or home against Carolina on November 9th.
“The Bears will be without Justin Fields for multiple weeks, but there are no current plans to place the third-year quarterback on injured reserve, sources tell CBS Sports.
On Friday, Chicago ruled Fields out for Sunday’s game against the Raiders, and undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent will get the first start of his career. Fields has a dislocated thumb on his right hand that has made it difficult to grip the ball, and he didn’t practice at all this week.
The minimum number of games a player must miss after being placed on injured reserve is four. Indeed, it’s possible Fields winds up missing four games. But his importance to the team weighs heavily in the decision to keep him off short-term injured reserve in the event he can heal more quickly than expected.”
Justin Fields can only hope for two things.
He must hope the Bears can win a couple of games to keep the season afloat, allowing him to return and potentially save it down the stretch. In addition, he must hope Bagent doesn’t perform well in the interim. The rookie is popular in the Bears locker room. If he puts together one or two positive outings and wins a game, that might convince the coaching staff to stick with him. The truth is this injury couldn’t have come at a worst time for Fields. He was just starting to play better after two great games against Denver and Washington.
That thumb injury derailed all of his momentum. If the Bears lose two or three more games while he’s out, they will be 1-7 or 1-8 when he gets back. The season will be long over by that point. It won’t matter what he does down the stretch unless he somehow reels off eight wins in a row. That seems unlikely. Justin Fields didn’t have the ideal situation around him during his time in Chicago. Even so, he can’t escape responsibility. The sack he took that caused the injury was yet another where he held the ball too long. His inconsistency will define his time with this team.
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