Bears quarterback Justin Fields has emerged as one of the league’s most exciting young players, and he’s made strong progress in his second NFL season.
Despite an underwhelming roster, Fields has managed to make explosive plays on a weekly basis. His athleticism has been the biggest factor in his success, where he’s made defenses pay with his elite speed. Fields has 905 rushing yards on the season, and he has a chance to break Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback.
But Fields is still a young quarterback with plenty of room for improvement. The arrow is certainly pointed up for the former 11th overall pick.
Football Outsiders’ Aaron Schatz examined the biggest weakness for every starting quarterback in the NFL. So what is Fields’ biggest weakness according to the data?
Fields’ biggest weakness is simple: He takes too many sacks. It will probably surprise you to learn that the Bears currently rank second in ESPN Analytics’ pass block win rate. Yet the Bears also have the worst adjusted sack rate in the league. In fact, Chicago has a 12.6% ASR, and no other offense is above 10%.
Pass protection has been an issue for the Bears dating back to Fields’ rookie season. This season, Chicago has allowed 42 sacks, which is the fifth worst in the league. While the offensive line needs to do better in pass protection, Fields also needs to learn to stop taking sacks and get rid of the ball.
Granted, Fields has done a better job in evading pressure with utilizing his legs to extend plays or bail from the pocket. But Fields still holds on to the ball for too long, which have led to some of those QB-responsible sacks.
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