Can Fields Help Bears Pass Up Packers?
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Headed into a Week 1 rivalry showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears, the question mark at quarterback is enormous. Whatever the answer will define the future of a legendary franchise.
But enough about Jordan Love.
Even with 25 career starts under his belt, Bears quarterback Justin Fields is just about as big of an unknown as Love as he replaces the iconic Aaron Rodgers.
What is known is Fields is an electric runner. His 1,143 rushing yards last season are the second-most in NFL history for a quarterback, trailing only Ravens star Lamar Jackson’s 1,206 yards in 2019. Had Fields not missed two games, he almost certainly would have obliterated Jackson’s mark, which he set during his MVP season.
That’s not winning football, though. (Nor is it great for career longevity, but that’s another matter.) In 2019, Jackson also led the NFL with 36 touchdown passes, or 2.4 per game. In 27 career games, Fields has thrown 24. That’s less than one touchdown per game.
As a passer, Fields was better last year, though that’s like complimenting an F student because he raised his GPA to 1.0. With a 60.4 completion percentage and 17 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions, Fields posted a modest 85.2 passer rating. The Bears finished 32nd in passing yards per game and 28th in passing yards per attempt.
There are extenuating circumstances, which the Bears attempted to address this offseason.
Fields was sacked 55 times, tied for the most in the NFL with Denver’s Russell Wilson (who attempted 165 more passes). In response, Chicago signed veteran right guard Nate Davis in free agency and used its first-round pick on right tackle Darnell Wright.
With Darnell Mooney masquerading as the No. 1 receiver, Chicago acquired Chase Claypool at last year’s trade deadline. Then, as part of a predraft blockbuster, general manager Ryan Poles traded the No. 1 overall pick to Carolina. As part of the deal, the Bears acquired D.J. Moore, a legit No. 1 receiver whose string of three consecutive 1,100-yard seasons was ruined last year by the Panthers’ horrendous quarterback situation.
With better pass protection and better perimeter weapons, everything is in place for Fields to thrive.
So long as he’s up to the task.
While Fields is a trendy MVP pick – he’s 11th on the board at SI Sportsbook, for instance – the reality is he’s as big of an unknown as Love. Was Fields last in sack percentage and second-to-last in interception percentage because of all the surrounding issues? Or because he’s an inaccurate passer with poor pocket presence?
Justin Fields (Photo by Dan Powers/USA Today Sports Images)
“I feel comfortable as far as everything goes with footwork and stuff like that, so just working hard, doing what I do day in and day out and just getting better each and every day,” Fields told reporters in Chicago on Wednesday when asked if he’s improved as a passer.
“Whatever the defense presents, whichever way they’re going to allow us to beat them, that’s what we’re going to do. Whatever I have to do for this team to win, that’s what I’m going to do. I’ll just go about it like that.”
This is Year 2 in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense, so he should be comfortable in what he’s being asked to do. A pass-catching corps of Moore, Mooney, Claypool and tight ends Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan is legit, especially compared to what Green Bay might roll onto the field. Fields’ breakaway running ability will forever put defenses on their heels.
In last year’s December game at Soldier Field, Fields had a 55-yard touchdown run and went 20-of-25 passing, but he threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions with the game on the line. His 5-20 record as a starter isn’t all his fault, obviously, but he hasn’t been good enough to change the Bears’ fortunes, either.
“He’s extremely talented,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think he’s gotten better and better in the passing game. He’s just a threat to score on every play because he’s so dynamic.
“You’ve got to account for not only his ability to throw the football – obviously, adding a weapon like D.J. Moore presents a whole new set of challenges – but he can, whether it’s a called run, whether they’re using him in like a zone-read-type play or it’s a dropback or play pass, a keeper, whatever they want to do. He can pull it down and take it to the house, and we experienced that last year.”
For three decades, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers tormented the Bears. Now, it’s a new era. It’s Love vs. Fields. If Fields is who the Bears hoped he’d be when they drafted him 11th overall in 2021, it will be Chicago’s opportunity to turn the tables in a series in which the Packers have won eight consecutive games overall and seven straight at Soldier Field.
There will be no excuses.
“I’m ready,” Fields said. “I’m ready to go. It’s going to be fun.”
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