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Justin Fields Flashes Bright Bears Future in MNF Beatdown vs. Patriots

Brent SobleskiOctober 25, 2022

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - OCTOBER 24: Justin Fields #1 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on October 24, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
Adam Glanzman/Getty Images

A sense of disappointment had to be creeping in as the Chicago Bears entered Monday's contest against the New England Patriots ranked among the NFL's bottom three in scoring and total offense.

Yet the franchise and its fanbase should have left the 33-14 victory with a far greater appreciation of what quarterback Justin Fields can still become when utilized correctly.

Earlier this season, Fields didn't look any further along than he did a season ago, when his rookie season turned into a disaster for him, his coaching staff—which is now gone—and the team. In fact, the No. 11 overall pick entered Monday's game with the lowest QBR and quarterback rating of any signal-caller with at least five starts not named Baker Mayfield.

The Bears staff wisely used its extra four days of preparation after playing on Thursday night during Week 6 to rework some of the offensive scheme, which proved to be highly successful.

Fields' athleticism became the focal point after being asked to work from the pocket far too often, especially behind a suspect offensive line and marginal weapons in the passing game.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy implemented more pocket movement, rollouts and designed runs to jump-start the Bears' best offensive weapon by affecting both phases of the offense. It worked.

The 23-year-old led all players in the contest with 82 rushing yards and averaged 5.9 yards per carry. Most of his damage came in the first half. Chicago's first touchdown came courtesy of a three-yard quarterback sweep.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Fields ran the ball nine times on designed runs during the initial two frames and posted career-high 54 yards on those carries. He never had more than 20 yards in those situations.

Furthermore, his 74 first-half rushing yards are the most by a quarterback versus New England since Bill Belichick took over in 2000, per ESPN Stats & Info (h/t Mike Reiss).

"I thought it brought a whole different element to the offense," Fields said of the designed runs after the game.

To flesh out those numbers a little more fully, Fields excelled when throwing outside of the tackle box. He completed seven of 10 passes for 120 of his 179 passing yards in those situations, courtesy of Next Gen Stats.

In total, the Bears quarterback finished the contest with 63 rushing yards on designed runs. He had all of 83 during the first 18 appearances of his professional career.

Fields zipped while the Patriots zapped their chances of winning the contest.

"You've got to be locked in on a guy like that, and you have to execute every play," Patriots outside linebacker Matthew Judon told reporters.

Once Chicago gained a solid lead, Getsy leaned on his running backs. David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert finished the contest with 62 rushing yards apiece. But Fields is the engine to drive this offense, even if the surrounding parts may be falling off or a little rusted.

The addition of designed plays to exploit the quarterback's athleticism is only part of the equation. When Fields' confidence escalates, he'll start making plays when nothing looks available. For example, he can evade pressure, extend plays and find his tight end Cole Kmet down the field when necessary.

NFL @NFL

Fields keeps making things happen 😮<br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsNE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsNE</a> on ESPN<br>📱: Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/2HQeNdaFPc">https://t.co/2HQeNdaFPc</a> <a href="https://t.co/rWfoNzPARY">pic.twitter.com/rWfoNzPARY</a>

Fields' lone touchdown pass of the night might have been one of his most impressive tosses of his career so far.

With Herbert expecting a simple smoke screen after lining up wide, Fields had to be somewhat of a magician just to get the play off, thanks to the amount of pressure he faced.

NFL @NFL

Khalil Herbert to the house untouched! <a href="https://twitter.com/JuiceHerbert?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JuiceHerbert</a><br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CHIvsNE?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CHIvsNE</a> on ESPN<br>📱: Stream on NFL+ <a href="https://t.co/2HQeNdaFPc">https://t.co/2HQeNdaFPc</a> <a href="https://t.co/QKKpTgYarK">pic.twitter.com/QKKpTgYarK</a>

Immediate pressure from Deatrich Wise Jr. forced the quarterback to pump the ball, slightly reset his feet, completely change his arm angle and still release the pass around the defender's body while being hit by two Patriots.

Other quarterbacks may have pulled the ball down, simply taken the sack or gotten the pass batted. The creativity in such a simple yet difficult play shows just how talented Fields can be.

While these attributes finally showed up in what turned into the Bears' most complete effort of the season, general manager Ryan Poles had already seen promising signs from the Ohio State product and identified what the team had to do to maximize his effectiveness.

"Justin's been a big topic in his development," Poles told reporters Monday. "We're encouraged with the progress that's there. I know it's not in the statistics and on the paper all the time, but he is getting better in a lot of different areas. As a whole, we've gotta play better around him as well to allow him to keep playing well and get his confidence going and execute at a high level."

The general manager added, "How he's being used—are we putting him in a position where he can be successful? And then the execution and the details of what he's being asked to do and really speeding up to the game and making decisions quicker. But again, the beautiful thing about football is it's reliant on everybody else. So as a whole, we have to improve. I think we'll see that everyone starts to get better, and we'll start to ascend."

Chicago Bears first-year general manager Ryan Poles watches warm ups before a preseason NFL football game between the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs, Saturday, Aug. 13, 2022, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

For one night in prime time, everything came together. The Bears found their blueprint of how to transform Fields from a struggling youngster into a franchise quarterback.

In doing so, the organization can help build his confidence for when the team actually has a good support system around him and fully unleash the talented athlete.

As the offensive line improves, Fields will be asked to work from the pocket more, and he should be comfortable doing so. With added pieces at the skill positions, the quarterback won't be asked to be the primary playmaker at all times. He will eventually be able to rely on others to create with the ball in their hands.

The Bears did a pitiful job this past offseason properly building around Fields. The coaching staff just now reached the point where it's fully utilizing his skill set. As long as the group continues to build on what everyone saw Monday night, previous disappointment will wash away, and the excitement of Fields' initial selection will return with gusto.

Fields always presented alluring ability, hence why Chicago traded up to acquire his services. The Bears simply took a long time to figure out how to unlock his potential. Both parties now appear to be on the right track toward the first franchise quarterback to lead Chicago's offense since at least Jay Cutler, if not Jim McMahon or even Sid Luckman.


Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.