There were high expectations for Bears quarterback Justin Fields heading into his second season. That despite an underwhelming supporting cast with questions at receiver and the offensive line.
So Fields’ rough start through the first three games of the season has certainly been alarming. The Bears not only have the worst passing game in the NFL — by a lot — but Fields himself has looked uncomfortable and indecisive. He certainly appears to be missing the swagger that fans saw at times in his rookie season.
There were times in last Sunday’s win over the Texans where the Bears showed a lack of confidence in Fields. Whether it was offensive coordinator Luke Getsy calling runs on third-and-longs or head coach Matt Eberflus taking three timeouts into halftime rather than give the offense a shot.
As my colleague Brendan Sugrue mentioned in his Week 3 takeaways, it certainly appears that Eberflus is prioritizing winning football games rather than Fields’ development.
Which, to be fair, is exactly what he should be worrying about. While Fields’ development is important, Eberflus’ priority isn’t simply Fields. His job is to win football games and coach his entire team.
But that doesn’t mean that Fields’ development isn’t taking a hit in the process. Fields looks like he’s regressed, and it’s up to Getsy and quarterback coach Andrew Janocko to get the young QB back on track.
As the Bears gear up for a Week 4 game against the Giants, host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) discuss concerns about Fields’ development, praise the run game and defense, and preview the matchup against New York.
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