Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ first completion against the Lions was exactly what he’d practiced — and what his coaches wanted.
He stepped up in the pocket, sprinted to his left, squared his hips like a second baseman turning a double play and — just as he was about to reach the line of scrimmage — sidearmed a fastball to receiver DJ Moore for 14 yards.
“Put the ball right on the money,” Moore said. “That’s all she wrote.”
Fields has been practicing different arm angles all season. His coaches have been encouraging him to keep his eyes downfield to look for completions even as he threatens to scramble. In one play, both happened.
“You’re seeing that growth,” quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko said. “That’s something you want to continue with.”
The Bears need Fields to continue that performance Monday night against the division rival Vikings. Fields’ production is important — but he needs to show he can win. Sunday’s crushing loss to the Lions proved that the former means little without the latter.
“For the most part we showed who we were,” Fields said. “Except until the end of the game.”
The end of the game, though, is who they are. Fields is 6-26 as the Bears’ starter. He’s won one game in the last 13 months.
With six games left to prove to his bosses that he’s the quarterback of the future, Fields needs to be the reason the Bears win games. If he’s not, the Bears figure to look elsewhere for their next quarterback — and maybe their next coach.
Matt Eberflus’ fate remains tenuous entering the last game of November. The Bears’ second absurd come-from-ahead loss of the season brought his winning percentage down to .214, the worst in franchise history. To escape last place, he has to go 4-2 the rest of the season. Even that might not be enough to save his job.
The next divisional game Eberflus wins will be his first.
The next one Fields wins will be his first since Oct. 3, 2021.
The Bears can’t possibly claim progress without winning NFC North games. They can’t possibly believe things are pointed in the right direction so long as they sit on the same number of wins this season — three — as they did last year.
The fastest way to fix that is for Fields to step up when it matters most. Among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 10 passes, Fields ranks 40th in passer rating in the fourth quarter this season. He’s 39th in yards per play.
Whether it’s throwing a pick-six in the shadow of his own goal post in Week 2 or being strip-sacked for a game-sealing safety last week after his defense’s historic collapse, Fields hasn’t lifted the Bears when wins were on the line. Now’s the time to start.
Statistically, Fields is on the best run of his career. In his last four games — including a stinker against the Vikings that he left in the third quarter after dislocating his thumb — he’s posted a passer rating of 116.5. By contrast, the season-long NFL leader entering Sunday’s games, Brock Purdy, has a 112.3.
In his last four games, Fields has run 41 times for 232 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. Only one NFL player has a better average during the entire season.
Without wins, those are just numbers.
But with a victory, it might just be progress.
“Focus on finishing better and finishing out the game when it counts — and when a drive comes up, making that big play when it matters,” Fields said. “We’re definitely excited for this opportunity.”
