The first time Justin Fields suited up for the Bears was the preseason opener in 2021, and he was electric.
He also was dangerously loose with the football.
The Bears have weighed those risks and rewards with Fields ever since, and it’s a concern going into their game Sunday against the Lions. There’s an opportunity for him to light up a so-so defense, but his liability for turnovers could undercut that.
Fields’ turnovers are much more than a footnote. He put up one of his most statistically productive games ever against the Broncos in Week 4, but threw an interception and lost a fumble for a Denver touchdown as the Bears unraveled. He made a huge throw late against the Vikings in the last game, but needed it to rescue the team from a mess he made with two lost fumbles.
“A perfect game for a quarterback is zero turnovers,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “That’s the guy that has the ball every single snap and he’s gotta do a great job with that. Then [comes] avoiding sacks and negative plays and operation and everything that comes along with the hardest position in sports. We recognize that.”
Fields has played nine turnover-free games in 33 starts with the Bears since they drafted him No. 11 overall hoping he would revolutionize the franchise. Actually, former general manager Ryan Pace made that call. Ryan Poles is deciding whether he also wants to bet his job on Fields, and he has an alternative since the Bears have a strong chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick in the draft via the Panthers.
Fields’ fumble in that preseason game came as he spun from a defender and didn’t keep the ball pressed against his body. He brushed it off as inconsequential since it bounced harmlessly out of bounds and it wasn’t a real game anyway, but the problem has persisted.
Fields has an NFL-high 35 fumbles since entering the league, though that figure also includes bad snaps. He has lost 11 for turnovers, including when Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson ended their last meeting by knocking the ball free for a safety.
Against the Vikings, Fields squandered a takeaway by his defense in the fourth quarter by losing a fumble on the fringe of the red zone and gave away what would’ve been a first down near midfield by losing another one with less than four minutes left.
“No excuses on both of them,” Fields said. “I’ve got to protect the ball.”
Fields also has thrown interceptions on a league-high 3.3% of his passes over his three seasons, though he’s at a career-low 2.7% this season and hasn’t had a multiple-interception game since Week 2.
Plenty of prodigious quarterbacks throw interceptions — Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa and Josh Allen are in double figures this season while Fields has just six — but they’re extremely costly for the Bears because their passing attack struggles in general.
They’ve thrown the fewest passes in the NFL over Fields’ career, including the sixth-fewest this season. He has been the second-most sacked quarterback and has the third-lowest completion percentage over that span. Turnovers are catastrophic for an offense like that.
The fact that Fields hasn’t proven himself definitively as the franchise quarterback is not entirely on him. The Bears have done a lot of self-sabotage. But regardless of who calls the plays and who’s on the field with him, Fields has the ball in his hand and ultimately is responsible for turnovers. There is always a better decision available.
There are signs he’s improving, but the steps have been too slow. Whether he’s still hoping to convince the Bears or auditioning for his next team, Fields needs to do everything better as a passer over the final five games. Turnovers must be minimized or eliminated, and when they do happen, he has to show the potency to offset them.
