Bears head coach Matt Eberflus didn’t want to tip his hand about Justin Fields’ health Monday, one day after he had X-rays on his left shoulder following a 27-24 loss to the Falcons.
“It’s like a day-to-day proposition right now,” he said.
Fields hurt his left shoulder when he was hit by Falcons cornerback Dee Alford on a first-down run toward the left sideline with 1:47 to play Sunday. He had X-rays on his shoulder after the game and complained of being in pain.
Eberflus didn’t want to give any clarity about the injury until the league-mandated injury report is due Wednesday. He admitted that there is a competitive advantage toward keeping the Jets, their opponent Sunday, guessing whether the Bears would start Fields or backup Trevor Siemian.
Eberflus wouldn’t say whether the team believes Fields’ injury to be season-ending.
Running back David Montgomery sounded resigned to playing without Fields in the short term.
David Chao, the SICscore.com analyst who was the Chargers team physician for 17 years, believes that, based on video evidence, Fields has a separated shoulder that would not necessarily prevent Fields from playing Sunday. The Bears could inject his left shoulder with Marcaine, a numbing agent, shortly before kickoff.
“The good news is, it’s common for NFL teams to safely numb an AC joint and play pain-free,” he said. “Now does that mean you’re sore after the game? Maybe.”
A sprained AC joint is the same as a separated shoulder. It occurs when there is damage to ligaments that connect the highest point of the shoulder blade, the acromion, to the collarbone.
