To be honest, Justin Fields wanted to throw the ball to Darnell Mooney. There, the Chicago Bears quarterback looked third and fifth in the third quarter on Sunday.
Against a zone look, Fields thought he cracked Mooney up the middle. But just as Fields was about to pull the trigger, Mooney turned in a different direction.
Fields pulled the ball back.
“At that point,” he said, “instincts took over.”
Instincts pulled him forward in the pocket. His eyes suddenly saw an expressway with minimal traffic jams. He hit the gas and parted three Miami Dolphins defenders.
He drove into the open field, full acceleration.
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“It was like ‘holy cow!'” said tight end Cole Kmet. “When he passed me it was pretty nice. I don’t know if there’s anyone else in the league who can do that. For real. That was pretty special.”
Bears coach Matt Eberflus watched it unfold right before his eyes. When asked what he had seen, Eberflus lit up.
“Speed,” he said. “I’ve seen speed and its incomprehensibility. As soon as he enters the open field, he runs away from pretty much most people.”
Sixty-one meters. Landing. NextGen Stats recorded Fields’ top speed as 20.33 mph.
The crowd at Soldier Field exploded.
“You see that look in his eyes when he takes off,” Kmet said. “And you just know you have to step out of the way and let him do his thing.”
That was Fields’ longest career, part of a record-breaking and inspiring performance in the Bears’ 35-32 loss to the Miami Dolphins.
Early in the fourth quarter, Fields broke the single-game franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback on a 14-yard scramble. That 50-year mark of 127 was held by Bobby Douglass.
On the next possession, Fields broke the NFL record of 173 set by Atlanta Falcons star Michael Vick in 2002.
“He’s going to continue to break a lot of records,” Mooney said. “So be ready.”
The fields ended with 178 rushing yards. Finally, he also threw three touchdown passes, including a 16-yarder to Mooney in the second quarter and two to Kmet.
For those looking for signs of hope for this 2022 season, particularly from Fields and offense, they’re here now — and popping up weekly.
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The Bears offense has found a groove since mid-October, averaging 376 yards and 31 points in their last three games.
“We’re really maximizing our strengths and minimizing our weaknesses right now,” said Eberflus.
Aside from a kneel late in the first half, the Bears scored on four of their first five possessions and finished the game with four touchdown marches of at least 60 yards. They have scored 17 goals in the last three games. For comparison, they had 20 goals in their first six games.
“It’s all about believing in ourselves,” Mooney said. “It’s about believing in the coaches and believing in Luke (Getsy’s) game plan and continuing to stay on our offensive journey. Whatever is going on, we actually believe in it.”
In a season judged most strongly by how much growth Fields and offense make, close losses like Sunday’s won’t hit Bears fans nearly as badly as they once did.
As long as QB1 regularly shows flashes of playful brilliance, it will be easier to overlook the shaky defense. That unit’s flaws were evident as Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill totaled 143 receiving yards, hit on a 3-yard pass from Tua Tagavailoa, and drew a 32-yard pass interference penalty in the end zone to earn another Dolphins score.
Fields’ production will also make it easier to brush aside gaffes from special teams, such as punt protection collapsing in the second quarter that allowed Dolphins linebacker Jaelan Phillips to block Trent Gill’s punt. Andrew Van Ginkel returned that loose ball 25 yards for a goal.
Instead, Chicago’s focus will be more on Fields’ developmental advancement. And make no mistake, Sunday’s performance was at least encouraging and, for many, downright exhilarating. Eberflus called it “a giant step”.
“We have a young football team,” he said. “We’re building on that. And at the heart of that is the quarterback.”
Nevertheless, the final touch was missing. Twice in the fourth quarter, Fields and the Bears had the ball and had chances to pull off a crucial or go-ahead drive. And twice they failed.
On those two possessions, they called 12 passing plays but ended up with only two completions for a total of 3 yards.
“That’s what you play this game for,” Mooney said. “To be in those moments and to shine and execute in those moments. … That was like what happened against Washington. Same deal. You obviously know what happened.
“They want to become a threat (at the end of games) and with that dominate and scare teams into having us in that situation.”
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For a young Bears team, such situational experiences should prove invaluable in the maturation process. Ultimately, all judgment will depend on how the Bears and their offense respond to those play-on-the-line moments.
“We have to find a way to put a drive together there,” said running back Khalil Herbert. “Everyone in here feels the same.”
Kmet added: “We had chances man. Since I’ve been here, the defense keeps catching up to us. They want to have a chance where offense picks up defense. That was our chance today and we didn’t take it.”
Yes, there was a deep shot from Fields at Chase Claypool that was incomplete on the final drive after Dolphins cornerback Keion Crossen pulled Claypool back from the waist before the ball arrived.
The officials overlooked that.
“After seeing it on the (video) board, it was definitely (pass interference),” Fields said. “For sure.”
Claypool added: “Justin threw me a good ball to give me a chance. I felt a bit withdrawn. But you still have to try to fight your way through it.”
And yes, on the 28th and final pass of the day from Fields, receiver Equanimeous St. Brown dropped a chain-moving reception in fourth and tenth that would have kept the Bears alive.
But if Bears fans want Fields to be their eternal quarterback, they mustn’t be allergic to nuance or constructive criticism when it comes to evaluating the sophomore quarterback and the offense he leads.
If the Bears are to have any legitimate championship hopes over time, Fields needs to be able to do a lot more damage as a passer. He threw for just 123 yards on Sunday, the eighth time in nine starts this season he was kept under 200.
Fields also had 10 tuck-and-run scrambles against the Dolphins. These are symptoms of a transient attack that is still not working as it should – for various reasons.
To his credit, Fields’ skills as a runner are special and often stunning. There were moments on Sunday when the Dolphins defenders looked like third graders trying to catch a rabbit in the park.
“He’s in position as quick as any other runner,” says Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel. “Like he’s really, really fast. And he can cut and break tackles. There are many running quarterbacks. This one in particular is very elitist and adept at it.”
Even in defeat, Fields’ brightest moments kept Chicago’s fountain of hope flowing. That’s important right now.