With Justin Fields’ future in flux and everything seemingly stacked against him as he tries to convince the Bears he’s their franchise quarterback, he delivered a performance Sunday at Soldier Field that will keep the debate going.
Fields made the decisive plays in a 28-13 win over the Lions — a landmark victory for him and the Bears — and gave everyone something to think about as the team heads toward a crucial decision: commit to Fields, or reset with, perhaps, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft.
Fields and the Bears got redemption against the opponent that embarrassed them the last time the teams met. Whereas last month, the Bears blew a 26-14 lead with four minutes left in Detroit, this time they were up 25-13 early in the fourth quarter and closed without any drama.
Fields’ performance wasn’t always artful, but he played well overall and was instrumental in the win. The Bears wouldn’t have taken this game without him.
“He’s still growing and getting better every week,” wide receiver DJ Moore said. “These last four games, you might see something spectacular out of him.”
That would go a long way. Fields wasn’t “spectacular” Sunday, but he was good, completing 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers for an 88.3 passer rating and running 12 times for 58 yards and a touchdown. Three times, he bailed the Bears out on third down with scrambles, including an 11-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
He also put them ahead late in the third quarter on a brilliant play. With the Bears facing fourth-and-13 at the Lions’ 38-yard line, Fields drew star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson offside, then took advantage of the free play by perfectly leading Moore into the end zone on a 38-yard touchdown pass for a 19-13 lead.
The Bears never had any intention of running a play. If the Lions had restrained themselves, as expected, the Bears simply would have taken a delay-of-game penalty and punted. But they sold it with Fields’ hard count, receivers pretending to signal to each other and the offensive line making a flurry of fake calls.
“I thought, ‘No way in hell are they jumping,’ ” tight end Cole Kmet said. “I don’t know how you could jump in that situation, but they did. It was a hell of a cadence and a hell of a throw to DJ.”
Moore ended up in single coverage against cornerback Jerry Jacobs. Fields read it instantly.
“He’s hard to cover when you’ve got just one guy on him like that,” coach Matt Eber-flus said. “Really good throw, really good catch and really good reaction. When they jump, you’ve got to beat them to the punch because the defense isn’t quite ready. When they jump offsides, they stop, they hesitate, so you have a little bit more time, and that’s exactly what happened on that play.”
The Bears largely credited the theatrics of left guard Teven Jenkins and Fields for baiting Hutchinson. Fields said he called “a dummy protection adjustment to make it feel like a real play.”
Fields’ savvy in snapping into action to take advantage of Hutchinson’s error was a sign of growth from two years ago, when he was inattentive against the Packers and incorrectly thought he had a free play, flinging an interception to safety Darnell Savage.
Two plays after Moore’s touchdown, the Lions fumbled a snap at their own 29. Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards recovered the ball, and it wasn’t long before Fields raced for a touchdown and a two-score lead.
Unlike the last time, that was it. The Bears looked competent and complete against a team that came in at 9-3 atop the NFC North.
“That’s what we can do,” left tackle Braxton Jones said. “In the past, we just kind of get in our britches and get scared and don’t be ourselves. This time, we came together. We got in that same position we were in last time, and we just finished the game. It’s huge for us. It’s a lot of momentum.”
The essence of general manager Ryan Poles’ upcoming decision on Fields is whether the Bears can win with him — really win, as in compete for championships. Poles is looking at college quarterbacks through the same lens — and the Panthers (1-12) lost again Sunday, increasing the probability the Bears will pick first in the draft because of their trade involving Moore and the No. 1 pick in March.
Fields was good enough to beat the Lions, but it’s up to Poles to ascertain if it will be enough in the long run, and whether Fields can replicate it regularly. The fact that a game like this was remarkable is part of the problem. The rushing and passing yards Fields put up are roughly what Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson averages.
For his part, Fields thinks he can climb from here. Kmet said the Bears missed some opportunities and “probably should’ve put 40 on them, honestly.” Fields agreed and cited “a lot of spots to improve” as he thought back through the game.
“There were a few throws I missed,” he said. “There were multiple plays during the game where we could have executed better. . . . The third downs and just the throws downfield, of course — there were a couple that I wanted back. But we won the game, and [there’s] still room to get better, so that’s just the hope for the future.”
Hope is great, but it can’t stop there. Eventually it has to materialize into success.
Conveniently, Fields and the Bears get a chance to prove exactly what they’re saying — that they’re capable of far more than this, when they visit the Browns next Sunday. The Browns aren’t as good overall as the Lions, but they have what Kmet called a top-end defense — one that’s arguably the best in the NFL against the pass.
That can’t be daunting to Fields. They’re exactly the kind of opponent he should want to face. It’s an ideal chance to make his point.
