This was what everyone wanted from Justin Fields, and him taking a step forward is far more consequential in the long run than the Bears losing a game to the Vikings five games into their rebuild.
Fields said Sunday was the most comfortable he has felt under coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, and film study of the Bears’ 29-22 defeat verified that. He was patient rather than taking off at the first hint of pressure, his throws were largely accurate and he spearheaded a comeback bid that fell apart when wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette got stripped.
Fields completed 15 of 21 passes for 208 yards with a touchdown pass for his first triple-digit passer rating at 118.8 while operating mostly out of the shotgun. He also ran eight times for 47 yards.
He gave the Bears hope, and he’s still at the stage — it was his 15th start — where that matters. But if he’s going to be a true franchise quarterback, this needs to be the floor for him, not the ceiling.
Here’s a closer look at the details from Fields’ best performance of the season:
Sharp second half
Fields really turned it up in the second when he completed 12 of 13 passes for 135 yards.
Predictably, when the offensive line held up, he looked great. He had all the time he needed to make the right read and throw with sound mechanics.
That happened on a second-and-seven early in the third quarter. Fields faked a draw to running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown ran a precise route up and to the right sideline and Fields hit him perfectly in stride for 18 yards.
More importantly, however, Fields navigated imperfect circumstances.
He was under pressure quickly on third-and-seven with 6:15 left in the third quarter and reacted with a throw to Darnell Mooney just short of the first down but with plenty of space for a 13-yard play. The Vikings’ pass rush got to him almost instantly again on second-and-eight with 11:56 left in the game, and Fields made a quick read to find tight end Cole Kmet over the middle for 10 yards.
Big plays erased
Fields missed out on 27 more yards passing because wide receiver Dante Pettis dropped two third-down throws in the first half. One of those was a 22-yarder that would’ve been negated by center Sam Mustipher’s holding penalty anyway.
Fields also saw a 12-yard scramble vanish because right guard Teven Jenkins got flagged for holding. And, most painfully, his would-be 52-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter was nullified by Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s block in the back against Cam Dantzler.
Smith-Marsette said Dantzler flopped, and Eberflus seemed to agree Monday.
“It was great effort by [Smith-Marsette]; I thought he got in position,” he said. “At the end, the guy kind of spun and threw his arms up, and they called it.”
Regardless, it was a total of 64 yards rushing erased by penalties, and the Bears kicked field goals on both of those drives.
Mustipher made another costly mistake at the start of the second quarter, when he snapped the ball before Fields was ready and Fields had to fall on it to avoid a turnover at his own 13-yard line. There was little chance of salvaging the possession, and the Bears went three-and-out.
Fields said he was using a leg kick to signal for the snap because of the noise level at U.S. Bank Stadium, and Mustipher mistakenly thought he saw that.
“I was trying to come up and can the play or change protection, but when I was walking up, he got that leg kick mixed up with me walking up,” he said. “Next time… I’ll be more decisive with my body movement in a loud environment like this.”
Missed opportunities
The Bears missed out on points as they settled for a 50-yard field goal on their first drive thanks to a miscue between Fields and Mooney. That’s concerning. The Fields-Mooney connection needs to be the most reliable component of the passing game.
Mooney had separation streaking into the left side of the end zone past Smith on what could’ve been a 26-yard yard touchdown pass, but Fields threw to the sideline to steer clear of an interception. Mooney said it was his error.
When the Bears went for two after their touchdown in the third quarter, Dantzler looked like he knew the play better than they did. Fields hit Pettis behind the line of scrimmage, but Dantzler was already there and threw him down before he could take a step. If Fields had recognized that, he could’ve called an audible.
And, of course, that final play was exasperating.
Fields made a prudent pass to Smith-Marsette that led him toward the left sideline, and if he had stepped out, the Bears would’ve had the ball at the Vikings’ 39-yard line with at least 1:07 left, a timeout in hand and Fields playing at full throttle.
Given the strides Fields made in the second half, it would’ve been fascinating to see how that ended.
