It’s been a while since we’ve credited the Chicago Bears training staff with a dub, but they earned it yesterday.
Here is why Justin Fields didn’t suit up at quarterback for Chicago’s football team on Sunday:
Considering how injuries piled up at a dizzying rate at MetLife Stadium, I’m extra glad Fields was on the list of inactive players. Way to go, Bears medical team. And a bonus pat on the back for Fields being honest and forthright when it comes to self-diagnosis. We’ve seen too many players over the years downplay their injuries, only to make it worse by playing through the pain. I love seeing cooler heads prevail, even if it meant us spending nearly three hours of our lives watching Trevor Siemian operate in the rain.
So … what about a return to the lineup this week?
Well, it’s plausible.
Fields remains day-to-day in the eyes of Head Coach Matt Eberflus, who said as much yesterday during his postgame press conference. But Eberflus also left the door open for Fields to return to the starting lineup as early as this week’s upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers. For Fields to move past that day-to-day status, he’ll need to check all three of these boxes — medical clearance, a self-evaluation that declares he is ready to go, and a thumbs up from his coaches:
I’d guess that before we even get to the game-time decision, Fields needs to be able to give it a full-go at practice. Fields was listed as a limited participant on the injury report throughout the week. And when he tried to test himself during some pregame warmups, Fields was restricted to a few test throws before heading back into the tunnel and landing on the game day inactive list. If Fields can’t give it a go at practice, it is unlikely he’ll be able to do so on game day.
In other words, we’ll be looking for Fields’ name when the injury report comes out on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Those three practice report designations will clue us in onto what Fields’ future looks like for Week 13. We’d love to see him stick it to the Packers. Especially if Aaron Rodgers plays. But I don’t think I’d complain about another Tank Win. What a balancing act this could turn out to be. Stay tuned.