Chicago Bears Lose But Fields Has Historic Game

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields continued his progression on Sunday. Despite losing to the Miami Dolphins 35-32, he made history.

The Chicago Bears lost their fifth game in six tries on Sunday. Normally, that would cause all fans to groan about another lost season. Not today, however. Despite the loss, the offense showed that it is progressing. It is not only a competent one at the moment but also a good one.

The leader of the offense is quarterback Justin Fields. He had the hopes of the fans weighing on his shoulders. The entire Chicago Bears Nation felt he was finally the answer at quarterback.

For most, Fields’ development was the main priority for the Bears this season. The latest rebuild is in motion and with general manager Ryan Poles tearing down the roster there weren’t many (except the die-hard fans with Bear goggles on) who expected much from this team.

A funny thing happened, however. Without much talent around Fields and him learning a new offensive system, he struggled. With a new regime, there were whispers that perhaps Fields now wasn’t in Chicago’s plans. When he struggled early in the season, those whispers became louder.

In the past few weeks, things changed. Fields, despite a weak offensive line (they lead the league in sacks given up) and a wide receivers corps that struggles to get open and hold onto the ball, started to get better.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy started calling more plays that took advantage of Fields’ skillset. He had more designed run plays for him and had him throw more high-percentage passes. Those plays got Fields into a rhythm. With better handling of the offense, he gained confidence.

Over the last four weeks, Fields and the Chicago Bears offense have been flying high. With Fields leading the way, the offense has averaged 380 total yards of offense and 31.3 points per game.

This season, the Bears lead the league in rushing, by a wide margin. They have 1,759 yards. The Atlanta Falcons are in second, with 293 fewer yards.

Fields has a historic game

All that culminated in Fields having a historic game on Sunday. He rushed for an incredible 178 yards and a touchdown. The yards set the all-time record for rushing by a quarterback in a game. The only quarterback who ever rushed for more was Colin Kaepernick in a playoff game in January of 2013 against the Green Bay Packers.

When Getsy designed more running plays for Fields he unleashed a beast. In the same four-week period that the offense started to thrive, he has 408 rushing yards. He averages 8.3 yards per run and has 3 touchdowns.

Opposing teams know what is coming. Coaches try to key in on Fields’ running. It’s no good, however, as Fields continues to run around defenses.

Against the Dolphins, there were times when the defense actually had Fields stopped behind the line of scrimmage. He somehow slipped away, though.

That was the case when he had the longest run of his career. He dropped back for a pass but the pocket broke down. He took off the middle and then swerved to avoid defenders. There were flying Dolphins players attempting and failing to take Fields down.

Fields’ passing is hampered by a lack of talent

Fields’ passing has gotten better but at a slower pace than his running. In his first five games, he completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 679 yards and 3 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. His passer rating is 73.1.

In his last four games, however, things changed. He completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 643 yards. He has 7 touchdown passes and just 2 interceptions. His passer rating is 95.6.

Despite the higher passer rating and higher completion percentage, his passing yards are lower. That has more to do with his receivers than with him. His receivers have let him down with key drops. We saw that especially hurt in the past two weeks.

Against the Dallas Cowboys, the Bears started a comeback. After an Eddie Jackson interception, the Bears were in a position to score. However, Dante Pettis and Equamenious St. Brown dropped passes in the end zone.

Pettis has had some key drops in big situations that halted drives and kept the offense from scoring.

Against the Dolphins, St. Brown had another big drop. On the Bears’ final play, Fields dropped a pass to St. Brown. St. Brown had to get low for it but had it in his hands. He dropped the pass and ended another Chicago Bears comeback bid.

The newest Bears receiver Chase Claypool will certainly help. He only had two catches for 13 yards and a run for 4 yards but is still learning the system. He will provide Fields with a bigger, more athletic target than he currently has in the wire receivers unit.

Those people saying that Fields isn’t the guy are now quieting down. As each week passes, he is showing more and more that he is the man to lead this rebuild and bring the Chicago Bears back to prominence.