LANDOVER, Md. – What a rollercoaster the first five weeks of the NFL season have been for the Bears and quarterback Justin Fields.
A clunky offensive plan, poor execution and robotic play in the first three weeks led to Fields posting numbers that would easily make him one of the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks. Some suggested that it might be “broken.” Others wondered if he might need to be benched for a mental reset.
In three weeks, Fields went from franchise savior to the latest in a long line of quarterbacks to ruin the Bears franchise.
But while doubts arose about Fields’ future as the Bears’ franchise quarterback, the Bears never seemed to waver. You know the player and the person. They understood the work ethic and focus. They listened to Fields’ suggestions on how to get things moving in the right direction. They believed that the Fields they had seen all season – the one who had made significant progress with his command of the offense – would arrive.
They just had to unlock it.
Then the pendulum swung back.
Fields started the Bears’ Week 4 game against the Denver Broncos, going 23-25 for 285 yards and four touchdowns. Decisions were made quickly, accuracy was accurate and self-confidence grew.
Fields was outstanding against the Broncos until a fourth-quarter strip-sack fumble and game-ending interception sealed the Bears’ fate in a 31-28 loss.
The signs of progress were obvious. Week 4 was a reminder of Fields’ potential, but memories aren’t enough. Sometimes you have to see things again and again for them to transform from a hopeful mirage into concrete evidence.
Four days later, 335 yards and four touchdowns against the Broncos, Fields and star wide receiver DJ Moore gave the Washington Commanders a 40-20 win at FedEx Field. Fields finished Thursday’s game going 15-for-29 for 282 yards and four touchdowns, while Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
With Moore’s help, Fields went 43-for-64 for 699 yards, eight touchdowns, one interception and a 131.1 passer rating over the last two games.
The Bears’ Justin Fields have done their best this offseason, and the guy Moore was supposed to help go from hopeful prospect to bona fide star is back.
“You can see him on the sidelines. He’s always cool. Try not to create too much hype,” wide receiver Darnell Mooney said of Fields after the win over the Commanders. “I’ve been telling him since the first game, ‘Hey, just stay locked in. Keep playing the way you’re playing.’ Every ride I see him I just say, “Hey, stay locked up. Don’t let anyone distract you and get out of your zone.” He did that. He played really well.
“This is Justin Fields.”
There were moments in 2022 where you could see what Fields could become if the Bears stopped messing around and fully supported his development. There was the second half against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5, the barrage against the Patriots in Week 7, the wild bonanza against the Dolphins and his efficient play against the Packers.
But while the flickering was there, the light never stayed on long enough to give us a full view of what could be. The protection was too poor, the weapons too few, the style of play too questionable.
The addition of Moore, a revamped offense and strengthening the bond with second-year offensive coordinator Luke Getsy should change all that.
For the first three weeks, it seemed almost certain that Fields was destined for bust – a victim of cruel NFL fate and circumstances that ruined a rare talent.
But there is always time to be what you could have been.
“You can just see the confidence,” head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday of Fields’ development. “When you see growth in your job or in my job or in him as a professional quarterback, you can just feel it.” And you can feel the guys around him, the comfort and confidence that they have, the chemistry, that prevails between them. You see it in practice, you see it in the games. For me it’s all about the growth, it’s about the execution and then the consistency of that execution. We saw it in the games and in training.
“In the last two games he was 43 of 64 for almost 700 yards. Eight touchdowns, one interception. That’s what he wants to see and what we want to see.”
First, Fields and Getsy had to stop the bleeding. They had to work together to figure out the identity of the offense, find a rhythm and get the ball to DJ Moore.
Mission accomplished.
Over the last two games, Moore has caught 16 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns. This season, Fields is 27 of 34 for 531 yards, five touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 rating when facing Moore.
So it was only natural that Fields and Moore connected on a 56-yard touchdown pass late in Thursday’s game to secure the win and end the Bears’ 14-game losing streak.
“For Justin, it’s a game out for him,” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “This is huge. That’s a big dynamic.”
“He played so well and so freely,” linebacker TJ Edwards said. “I saw that all too well last year when I played against him. It is exciting.”
With Thursday’s performance, Fields became just the fourth quarterback since 1970 to throw for 5,000 yards and rush for 1,500 yards in his first 30 starts.
“That was him,” Brisker tweeted about Fields after the game. “Stop playing.”
Things change quickly in the NFL. Six days ago, Bears fans were planning a draft party for Caleb Williams while also mourning what might have happened to Fields.
Six days later, the third-year quarterback reminded them how good he can be. In life and in football, progress and growth are not linear. It is the patient, the hardworking, who find their way through storms that wash away the ordinary.
Two standout games doesn’t make Fields the Bears’ long-term answer, just as three stinkers doesn’t mean he should be cut from the franchise.
Through eight quarters, Fields provided a powerful reminder of why hope and possibility are such powerful tools – a sign that the potential for greatness that has always lived within him is still there.
To quote Darnell Mooney: “That’s Justin Fields.”
If so, the Bears will have to hope he sticks around. This time forever.
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