Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields suffered a shoulder injury during Sunday’s game

Justin Fields was carted off the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after the team lost 27-24 to the Atlanta Falcons. He was seen earlier in the game receiving treatment for his hamstrings, and by the end of the game, his left shoulder was clearly in pain.

Justin Fields completed 14 of 21 passes for 153 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Falcons. He added 85 yards and a touchdown on 18 rushing attempts.

Per Adam Jahns of The Athletic, Fields was favoring his left (non-throwing) shoulder after the game and was taken to the locker room for further evaluation.

Fields was passed over by the Falcons in the 2021 draft in favor of tight end Kyle Pitts, who was also injured on Sunday. Justin Fields spent much of the game demonstrating to Atlanta fans what they could have had in-house, combining elusiveness and touch to score 17 points in a row. The highlight was finding Cole Kmet for an incredible one-handed catch.

But as the game progressed, it was clear that Fields was losing mobility and explosiveness, and by the time he had the chance to lead Chicago on a potential game-winning drive, he was clearly in too much pain to lead the Bears to victory.

The Chicago Bears have yet to provide an update on the health Justin Fields.

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ATLANTA — Bears quarterback Justin Fields hurt his left, non-throwing shoulder late in the 27-24 loss to the Falcons, and the injury was evaluated by medical staff immediately after the game.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus, who has given as little injury information as possible this season, said he would give an update on Fields on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming game at the Jets.

Falcons cornerback Dee Alford hit Fields at the end of a one-yard designed run as he went out of bounds with 1:42 left, and Fields landed on his left shoulder.

He scrambled on the next play, then threw an interception off running back David Montgomery’s fingertips for a game-ending interception.

Fields completed 14 of 21 passes for 153 yards with a touchdown to Darnell Mooney and the late interception for an 84.0 passer rating. He also ran 18 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.

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ATLANTA — Bears players were frustrated by what they thought were late hits on quarterback Justin Fields in Sunday’s 27-24 loss to the Falcons.

“The league, if that was a different quarterback, they’d be throwing … a lot of flags,” safety Jaquan Brisker said. “I feel like the league [has] gotta look at that. It’s crazy, you know, how many times he gets hit in the head, every single game, but he still gets up. Gets hit out of bounds late or near the [sideline].

“If that was Tom Brady, Jared Goff or anybody like that, they’d throw flags, immediately. Just like you seen today. They threw a flag on [a hit on Falcons quarterback Marcus] Mariota, and he tripped.”

Fields felt like he was hit late by Falcons defensive lineman Grady Jarrett after he slid by on a second-and-nine draw play with 1:38 to play.

“I saw the contact,” center Sam Mustipher said. “That’s tough. That’s the way the cookie crumbles. They didn’t call it. I’ve seen it called both ways. … I woulda liked that call, for sure.”

So would Brisker.

“I feel like they gotta respect Justin some more and look at him as a quarterback,” Brisker said. “Obviously, there should be a lot more flags. He’s getting targeted every single game and none’s being thrown. …

“Maybe because he’s strong, he’s physical. I don’t know. He’s a quarterback. I feel like he should get the same. It should be equal. Like everybody else.”

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The Chicago Bears couldn’t finish against the Falcons

The Chicago Bears had their chances to win in Week 11. The Bears had another opportunity to win a game on their final drive. They failed to do so for the third straight week. The Bears’ coaching staff made some odd decisions in the game. The team activated Teven Jenkins but didn’t start him. The decision only looks worse after Fields was noticeably hurt after the game.

The Bears are now 3-8. Going to the playoffs is out of the question for this team. They will need to use their next six games to evaluate the talent they have and where they need to plot their offseason moves to make the Chicago Bears a contender again. They showed against the Falcons they’re close but just not quite there yet. Here are three studs and duds from the Bears’ loss to the Falcons.

Studs

Former Chicago Bears

The Bears saw quite a few former teammates in red jerseys Sunday. Several made positive plays against the Bears. Falcons return man and running back Cordarrelle Patterson had a kick return for a touchdown. He fumbled the ball early in the game but quickly made up for it. In the fourth quarter, Patterson had several vital runs to move the ball into scoring position and take the lead on their final drive. He finished with 52 yards on ten carries.

Defensive lineman Abdullah Anderson recorded a sack on the day. He finished with four tackles. Former Bears pass catchers Damiere Byrd and MyCole Pruitt had long receptions of 19 and 17. Current Falcons executive and former Bears general manager Ryan Pace did something for Chicago he couldn’t do during his tenure there. Set the team up for better draft capital.

Matt Eberflus’ in-game defensive adjustments

Eberflus has been criticized for his first-half defense getting rocked in the first half before he answers challenges in the locker room at halftime. His defense gave up an opening touchdown. After that drive, the Chicago Bears defense looked a lot more competitive. They gave up 20 total points on defense. (Patterson’s kick return touchdown accounted for the other seven points.)

With the Bears new explosive brew on offense, holding an opponent to 20 points should net the Bears a win. Not too bad with the roster the Bears have on defense after trading away their core players from 2021.

Fields passing

Fields looked more comfortable in the passing game against the Falcons. He ran the ball well, but Fields made crucial strides in his passing game. His only touchdown pass of the day was right on the money. Fields made some incredible throws in the fourth quarter to give the team a chance. Fields was an efficient 14-21 for 153 yards and one touchdown to one interception. (The interception was thrown high but hit the hands of his intended target.) Those are solid numbers for 21 attempts.

He orchestrated a pass to David Montgomery on the Chicago Bears’ last scoring drive, where he fought to keep the play alive and pointed to his running back where he needed to go. Fields hit his target, even if it took 12 seconds to do so. (That won’t help his “holding onto the ball too long” stat.) Unfortunately, the Bears’ chances ended on the next drive when Montgomery put his hands on a pass and couldn’t come up with it. The deflected pass went to a Falcons defender for a game-deciding interception.

Duds

Kyler Gordon

Gordon had a few nice plays. He had a drive where he had important back-to-back tackles. Other than that, the rookie continued to stink up the Chicago Bears’ secondary. Gordon gave up a touchdown reception to start the game. He’s been awful in coverage all season. Gordon continued that streak in Week 11. Gordon’s got to be better the rest of the season, or he’s quickly heading into “bust” territory.

The Chicago Bears’ offensive line

The Bears’ offensive line had a terrible day. Fields was sacked four times on the day. He was constantly running around in the backfield before he could attempt to throw downfield. The run blocking wasn’t much better. This falls on the offensive line that was on the field for sure.

However, why was Teven Jenkins active if he wasn’t going to see the field? The Bears kept their best offensive lineman on the sideline, resulting in a disaster. That’s on the coaching staff. It’s going to be hard for the Bears to get the ball to Chase Claypool if they can’t block long enough for his route to develop.

Trestan Ebner

The Chicago Bears tried the Ebner experiment. It failed. The 2022 sixth-round pick had a chance to get substantial playing time with running back Khalil Herbert going on the injured reserve. He didn’t do well as Montgomery’s backup. Ebner finished with eight yards on six carries. Just 1.3 yards per rush. Ebner’s performance was easily the worst by a Bears running back this season. 1.3 yards per rush is hard on an offense that runs consistently for over 200 yards a game.

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If anyone thought Sunday would be the kick off of the Zach LaVine apology tour, they just don’t know the Bulls guard very well.

While he’s always been considered a model teammate and easy to coach, LaVine is also as confident in his ability as anyone in the league.

So when he expressed his displeasure in Billy Donovan’s decision to sit him in crunch time after the Friday loss to Orlando, he meant it. A few days away from the eyes of the media wasn’t going to change that.

“I just told him I feel like I’ve earned the right to go out there and try to play through a bad game,” LaVine said of the discussion he had with his coach. “[Donovan’s] decision was to try to do the best thing for the team, which I respect. If we won, obviously I would’ve been ecstatic. We lost, I wasn’t. I had a terrible game.”

A fact that both LaVine and Donovan could agree on.

With the Bulls trailing the Magic and LaVine a dismal 1-for-14 from the field — including an 0-for-5 from three-point range — Donovan went to second-year guard Ayo Dosunmu over LaVine with just over three minutes left in the final quarter. It did more than work, as the Bulls took a four-point lead thanks to a Dosunmu blocked shot, and were well on their way to snapping a three-game losing streak with 26.5 seconds left.

Magic guard Jalen Suggs, however, had a different ending in mind, making two free throws, and then taking advantage of two Nikola Vucevic missed free throws, to hit the game-winning three with five seconds left.

“That’s Billy’s decision, he’s gotta lay with it,” LaVine said immediately afterward. “Do I agree with it? No. I think I can go out there and still be me even if I miss some shots.

“You play a guy like me down the stretch.”

LaVine also said he wanted to speak to Donovan about it, and the two did that.

“We’re all good,” LaVine said of his relationship with his coach. “I think he understands where I’m coming from and I understand his decision as a coach that he has to make are tough, even if your players don’t agree with it. And that’s just what it is.”

While LaVine admittedly had as bad a game as he could, his point was he should have at least been on the court when the Magic were forced to foul Vucevic.

“I told [Donovan] at the very least bring me in for free throws,” LaVine said. “I think I could’ve helped at least seal the game with free throws and help get the ball in bounds. I’m one of the best players on the court regardless of who’s playing and I think that I should be on the court in crunch time and that’s just the mentality I have.”

Donovan not only appreciated LaVine’s confidence, but also what came out of the talk the two had about the subject.

“I felt it was the right thing for our team,” Donovan said. “I totally get his competitiveness and his wanting to win and be out there. He should. You know, I think all great players want to be able to do that.

“The one thing I’ve always tried to do with all these guys is you try to have open communication. Am I going to agree with every decision these guys make between the lines when the game’s going on? No. Are they going to agree with every decision I’m going to make from the sideline? No. It happens. But I think, it’s all about where people’s intentions are. I trust Zach’s intentions. And hopefully he trusts my intentions.”

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ATLANTA — Justin Fields got another chance to pull off a late comeback, but again couldn’t get the Bears a win. They suffered their fourth consecutive loss Sunday, losing 27-24 to the Falcons.

Fields led a game-tying drive capped by David Montgomery’s two-yard touchdown run to make it 24-24 with 8:20 left, then the Falcons pulled ahead on Younghoe Koo’s 53-yard field goal with 1:47 remaining.

That left Fields with one last shot from his own 25-yard line with all three timeouts. He got one yard on a designed run on first down, scrambled for four on second and threw an interception on third. Fields targeted Montgomery at the first-down marker on third-and-five with 1:07 left, but threw high and it deflected off his fingertips into the hands of safety Jaylinn Hawkins to end the game.

Fields completed 14 of 21 passes for 153 yards with a touchdown to Darnell Mooney and the late interception for an 84.0 passer rating. He also ran 18 times for 85 yards and a touchdown.

The Bears led 17-7 late in the first half.

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Twenty questions and answers on the upcoming season.

1. Who is the best player in the Chicago area?

Opinions are split between Joliet West’s Jeremy Fears Jr. and Cameron Christie of Rolling Meadows. The senior guards have very different styles. Fears is a pass-first point guard and lockdown defender. Christie is a top-notch scorer.

Fears has a higher national ranking and his experience with the US national team gives him the edge in the preseason.

2. Which players are on the preseason All-State team?

Fears, Christie, Kenwood guard Darrin Ames, East St. Louis forward Macaleab Rich and Simeon’s Miles Rubin.

3. Which teams are the favorites to win Class 4A?

St. Rita, Kenwood and Joliet West are the top contenders. Each team has a significant weakness that keeps them from being the clear choice. The Mustangs have some questions in the backcourt and Kenwood and Joliet West are inexperienced. Young and Curie start the season just a notch below that trio but can’t be overlooked.

4. Is there a team that could make a Cinderella run?

Rolling Meadows is the one to watch. Christie is surrounded by good size with 6-7 Mark Nikolich-Wilson, 6-7 Tsvet Sotirov and 6-6 Ian Miletic.

5. Who are the favorites in Class 3A?

Three of the final four teams in Champaign return the bulk of their starting lineups. Sacred Heart-Griffin, the defending champs, returns all five starters. Simeon is the favorite, but Metamora has a ton back and beat the Wolverines last season in the semifinals.

6. What’s the most interesting development for this season?

The shot clock has arrived. Sort of. The Illinois High School Association is allowing a 35-second shot clock to be used at shootouts and tournaments. It will still be at least a couple years until we see it implemented everywhere and in the state playoffs.

7. Which players have improved the most since last season?

Lyons senior Niklas Polonowski went from almost a total unknown to a Penn recruit over the summer. A trio of big men, Hillcrest’s 6-9 Darrion Baker and Simeon’s 6-9 Rubin twins, Miles and Wes, have taken major steps forward as well.

8. Which players are worth traveling to see?

St. Rita’s junior big man duo of James Brown and Illinois recruit Morez Johnson are highly regarded nationally and can put on a show. Joliet West sophomore Jeremiah Fears has as much potential as any player in the state and has a crowd-pleasing, flashy style.

9. What are the top teams from outside the area?

Sacred Heart-Griffin, Metamora and East St. Louis are all serious contenders for the Class 3A state title. It’s a strong year outside the area. Moline is a powerhouse in Class 4A. The Maroons return Iowa recruit Brock Harding, a talented guard. And they picked up a major transfer from Bradley-Bourbonnais, 6-9 Owen Freeman, also an Iowa signee.

10. Who is the most important transfer?

So many to choose from, but Fears’ return to Joliet West slightly edges out Nojus Indrusaitis’ move from Lemont to St. Rita. Fears turned the Tigers into instant state championship contenders. The Mustangs would have been with or without Indrusaitis.

11. Who is the most under-appreciated player in the area?

Momence senior James Stevenson Jr. is virtually unknown but was a dominant force last season. He’s a 6-6 point guard with great court vision and scoring ability.

12. Which teams were overlooked in the preseason Super 25?

Riverside-Brookfield, Downers Grove North, Glenbrook South and North Lawndale should all crack the rankings this season.

13. What is the must-see game of the year?

There’s no clear cut top game at this point, but the first two weeks of the season are loaded. Joliet West faces St. Rita in Washington. Simeon plays the Mustangs at the Chicago Elite Classic and Kenwood faces Joliet West at the event as well.

14. What is the strongest conference in the area?

The Red-South/Central retains the crown. Simeon, Kenwood, Curie, Hyde Park and Perspectives-Leadership are all in the preseason Super 25.

15. Who are the top freshmen?

The early buzz is around Rich’s Jamson Coulter Jr., Kenwood’s Noah Mister, Andre Tyler of St. Rita and Marist’s Stephen Brown.

16. Who are the top shooters?

Lake Forest’s Asa Thomas, Christie, Ames, New Trier’s Jake Fiegen and Glenbrook North’s Ryan Cohen.

17. Who are the new coaches to watch?

Hyde Park’s Jerrel Oliver is making his head coaching debut. There are two established veterans at new spots: Lou Adams at Rich, Conte Stamas at Brother Rice. Also keep an eye on Jamere Dismukes, who takes over at Homewood-Flossmoor.

18. Which sophomores will emerge as stars?

Jeremiah Fears and St. Rita’s Melvin Bell established themselves last season. Expect Young’s Antonio Munoz, St. Ignatius guard Phoenix Gill and Kenwood’s Aleks Alston to emerge.

19. Who are the area’s best big men?

It’s a solid year for bigs. The Rubin twins, Brown, Hillcrest’s Darrion Baker and Rolling Meadows senior Mark Nikolich-Wilson are all difference makers under the basket.

20. Will the scheduling calm down?

No. It’s a new world due to the IHSA’s rule changes that kicked in just before COVID. Expect teams to continue to schedule games on the fly to replace games they don’t play in tournaments.

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The cover of the program for “The Lion King,” now playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater, boasts the claim that it is “The World’s #1 Musical,” and it is easy to understand why. Now 25 years since its inception, it checks all of the boxes for a quality production: a compelling story, beautiful music (by Elton John and Tim Rice) and excellent performers. But what earns it the top spot is the commitment to costumes, sets, makeup, props, and puppetry. As a first-time viewer of this show on stage, I have frankly never seen puppetry this exceptional outside of a puppet exhibition.

Like the 1994 animated Disney masterpiece, the play opens with the song “The Circle of Life/Nants’ Ingonyama,” which won a Grammy for best arrangement, instrumentals and vocals. The music alone (sung exceptionally by Gugwana Dlamini as Rafiki) is enough to bring tears to your eyes, but when paired with puppets by Julie Taymor and director Michael Curry that mimic animals crossing the plains; giraffes, elephants, antelope, birds …. it’s breathtaking. The audience gasped audibly multiple times, amazed at the sheer artistry on display.

The show boasts gigantic, full-body, human-operated puppets, shadow puppets and pole puppets that work in harmony with the ingenious lighting, sets, costumes (the flower costumes felt phoned in, though) and makeup to create stunning optical illusions and theater magic. Watching a 5-year-old mouth agape at a giraffe towering over his head is worth the price of admission alone.

In a recent Variety article, director Julie Taymor revealed that humor from one country to the next does not usually translate, so the production works with local comedians to craft jokes which can produce local social commentary. For example, a South African production cast Timon as a Black South African actor and Pumbaa was played by a white Afrikaner actor. Taymor was quoted as saying: “Don’t underestimate your audience. … Don’t think because you’re doing something that’s going to have a 4-year-old in the audience that you have to dumb it down.”

However, if I had one major quibble about the play (outside of the patriarchal and monarchal messages), it was that the 1994 film held significantly more emotional weight that the kids in the audience were clearly anticipating and were robbed of. Throughout Act I, a chorus of children could be heard timidly (and eagerly) asking their parents “Is this the scary part yet?” Art is a safe medium for children to process feelings of fear without real danger. Yet when the “scary” parts arrived (Mufasa’s demise, and the creepiness of the hyenas), it became clear that the production had scaled back the scary to earn a G rating. I hope that when a revival comes around the next director leans in and gives us the truly creepy puppet hyenas we deserve. Even the romance of “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” was neutered and played for laughs.

However I do appreciate Taymor’s sentiment otherwise. Just because this is a story “for kids” there is plenty for even the most jaded theater snob to appreciate. Peter Hargrave is absolutely enthralling as Scar, able to strike fear into your heart while also evoking laughter. Darian Sanders’ voice soars as Simba in “Under the Stars,” and Nick Corileone and John E. Brady are a dynamic comedy duo as Timon and Pumbaa. And the standout stars of the show were the ensemble dancers and actors whose choreography and fluid movements during transitions often stole the show. The group of female lions on the hunt together held some especially imaginative surprises. Ultimately, The Lion King is a must-see musical packed with once-in-a-lifetime puppet artistry and theater magic.

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