Justin Fields put on a show on Sunday against the Dolphins.
Three passing touchdowns showed off the arm talent that made him a drool worthy quarterback prospect. He added an electric 61-yard rushing touchdown that we’ll see on highlight reels until the end of time. And, for good measure, he set a regular season single game record for quarterback rushing yards.
It all adds up to Fields winning the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award. Yeah, it’s a major award. And not is it just well deserved, it feels like the first of many for Fields:
This is so freaking awesome. A Chicago Bears quarterback winning the NFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Chills. Literal chills.
We’re seeing Fields develop as a quarterback with each week that passes. And this award feels like a milestone that was weeks in the making for a quarterback who has been climbing the development ladder all year long.
Fields becomes the first Bears player to win these honors since quarterback Mitchell Trubisky did it in Week 10 of the 2018 season when he threw for 355 yards and 3 TDs to go along with a rushing score. That was a fine performance, no doubt. But what Fields did is on a whole other level. This was a dynamic and special performance that felt like a coming out party.
And on top of that, Fields earned this honor in a loss. That feels like an extremely rare accomplishment these days to be acknowledged as a top performer of the week in a game your team lost.
In the end, I think we’re seeing Fields turn the corner. And while I don’t know what’s next for Chicago’s QB1, I’m tuning into see what it will be.