Chicago Bears (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
After the Chicago Bears got blown out in Mitch Trubisky’s revenge game by a score of 41-15, head coach Matt Nagy reiterated to the media that Andy Dalton is still the week one starter under center.
“No. Andy is our starter,” Nagy said. “Again, I can’t predict anything. You know how it goes. There are so many things that can happen between today and that Week 1, but Andy is our starter and Justin’s our No. 2. And we’re going to stick to this plan.”
Dalton’s statistics show a better outing than he had. He completed 11/17 passes for 146 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He was sacked twice and came out with an 86.9 passer rating. On the other hand, he had plenty of three-and-outs, and could hardly get the offense to move.
Following a plethora of unwanted “We want Fields” chants, the rookie standout took the field in the third quarter. He completed 9/19 passes for 80 yards without a touchdown nor interception. He also scrambled four times for 46 yards.
Bears’ HC Matt Nagy reiterated today that Bears’ QB Andy Dalton will start Week 1 at Los Angeles against the Rams, saying: “We need to see him in the regular season.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 21, 2021
All around, the team looked rough. The offense failed to get anything going despite an emotional 73-yard touchdown from Rodney Adams, who just came from the hospital after his daughter’s birth the night prior. Khalil Herbert also shuffled his way into the endzone for a 13-yard touchdown.
The bottom line is this — Nagy is sticking to his plan to keep Dalton as the starter. There are a few things to think about after soaking this information in.
#1: Don’t send Justin Fields out to the wolves
Good preseason or bad preseason, Fields should NOT start in week one.
I hear ya, Fields looks leaps and bounds better than Dalton. He’s more accurate downfield, plays at a quicker pace, and most importantly, he can scramble out of the pocket with ease and run the ball downfield.
The ladder is most important given the offensive line is doing their best impression of the ending to The Departed, with Cody Whitehair playing Mark Wahlberg.