Another week, another game, and another incredible milestone for Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears quarterback continues to re-write the record books. On Sunday, he gained his 1,000th rushing yard to become the first Bears QB to ever reach that number. And with his 95-yard rushing day, Fields broke Bobby Douglass’ single-season franchise rushing record by a quarterback of 968 yards. Impressive, to be sure. But there are still three games left to play and more records to break.
Next up? Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback:
Ha! Not only does Fields have his eyes on breaking Jackson’s rushing record, but he also has an idea of what he’ll need to do to set a new gold standard. Watching the Bears isn’t for the faint of heart. But it is must-see-TV when the offense is on the field and Fields is behind center.
As it stands, Fields is on pace for 1,230 rushing yards based on the season-long per-game averages that have him at 76.9 yards per game. If he puts up those numbers in the Bears’ final three games, he’ll get to that magic 1,206 number Jackson set in 2019. But if he runs at the rate he has in the seven games since the mini-bye in October, Fields averaging 102.6 yards per game over the final three games would put him at 1,307 rushing yards. Or, in other words, a full 101 yards above what Jackson put up during his record-breaking campaign.
So if you’re looking for something to root for other than Bears draft positioning, Fields’ quest to capture the NFL’s single-season quarterback rushing record is right there for you.
And you might as well enjoy it while you can, because Fields isn’t planning on this becoming an annual thing: