NEWSLETTER
Not that it should come as much of a surprise to any one, given how little time had passed between Justin Fields’ ribs injury and the end of the Bears’ loss to the Ravens, but there wasn’t much of anything in terms of answers regarding the health status of Chicago’s starting quarterback. (SEE UPDATE BELOW.)
When asked about Fields’ status and if he could possibly play against the Lions on Thanksgiving, Nagy offered nothing:
Bears HC Matt Nagy says Thursday QB in Detroit is not clear at this point.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) November 21, 2021
Matt Nagy doesn’t have much information yet on Justin Fields’ rib injury.
— Jeff Dickerson (@DickersonESPN) November 21, 2021
Matt Nagy: “Justin has some ribs.”
Need a little better update than that.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) November 21, 2021
Matt Nagy wouldn't commit to who his starting quarterback is if both players are healthy. #Bears are still waiting to see how serious Fields' injury is.
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) November 21, 2021
Not even Andy Dalton had an answer. And he shares a position room with Fields:
Dalton says he has yet to talk to Justin Fields, including having no details of his injury. #Bears
— Usayd Koshul (@usaydkoshul) November 21, 2021
Fields went left the game with an injury after a 3rd-and-long play early in the third quarter finished with the QB falling short of the first-down marker and being slow to get up. There was a quick stint in the blue medical tent on the sidelines, which was followed by Fields walking to the locker room with team doctors. And even though initial reports had Fields as questionable to return, he was eventually ruled out. Andy Dalton finished things up, almost picking up a victory in relief for his efforts. But for the second time in as many games, Chicago’s defense failed to hold a lead after its offense took a late lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
It was déjà vu all over again, in all the worst ways.
The Bears play the Lions on Thanksgiving. And this short turnaround won’t provide much time for recovery. Plus, hypothetical injury reports that come in the following days aren’t likely to shine light on anything. But we’ll follow this story and share any developments when possible.
Obviously, the sting from a soul-crushing loss — one that ultimately led to audible “Fire Nagy!” chants at Soldier Field in the game’s waning moments — isn’t subsiding any time soon. Especially not for the players. However, Fields’ health is at top of mind right now.
UPDATE: Fields is reportedly at the hospital having not only the ribs checked, but also his spleen:
Justin Fields is not only getting his ribs checked at hospital but also his spleen, per @JayGlazer.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) November 22, 2021
That sounds scary, and at present, you just hope Fields is OK purely from a health perspective. You can worry about a timeline for a return to play after that. We’ll update if and when there’s more.
UPDATE 2: An initial round of good news
#Bears QB Justin Fields is believed to have suffered bruised ribs today, source said, though he’ll have more tests tomorrow and continue to be monitored. But some initial good news tonight.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 22, 2021
Initial tests done on Bears’ QB Justin Fields today did not reveal any broken ribs, per source. Fields’ ribs will undergo further tests Monday.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 22, 2021
