NEWSLETTER
There was no putting lipstick on this pig. That Bears game was ugly. And while winning ugly still counts as a win, it left us with more questions than answers regarding Justin Fields’ development arc.
Fields was 8-for-17 as a passer on Sunday, gaining just 106 yards through the air. Tack on the 5 sacks that lost 24 yards, and now we’re looking at 82 net passing yards on Sunday against the Texans. Oof. Throw in another two interceptions and a 0-touchdown performance, the numbers in the passer rating calculator spit out a 27.7. That is a woefully bad number.
Ultimately, it brings us to a very straight-forward assessment from QB1 in his post-game press conference.
“Straight up, I played … I want to say the a-word, but I’m not going to do that,” Fields said. “I played like trash. I played terrible. I gotta be better.”
And when asked about specifics, Fields replied: “A lot of things.”
You can check out the clip below to hear the exchange with Fields and reporters:
I’m not sure how to feel after this. On the one hand, it is refreshing to hear a player respond with honest commentary in a self-assessment that quickly after a game. But also, I’m not used to players being this hard on themselves in press conferences. In the end, I have an unsettled feeling about everything that has to do with the Bears offense.
Knowledge is power. And when it comes to self-growth, knowing that you have work to do to be better is half the battle. But the other half of that battle? Whew, buddy. It is going to be an up-hill climb for Fields. The throws aren’t as crisp as they should be. His reads aren’t as clean as they need to be. There is plenty of artificial restraint going on around Fields, which is limiting his development arc. However, it is clear he also needs to be better in order for the Bears’ offensive brain-trust to allow him to throw the ball. It’s backward thinking, but this is Bears football we’re talking about. When have they ever been forward thinking in terms of QB development?
We’ll sort through that stuff (and more) throughout the week. In the meantime, enjoy that the Bears won. And we’ll get into the nitty gritty tomorrow and throughout the week.
