Although he had a stellar sophomore outing, after just three 2023 games former Ohio State University and current Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is now in the hot seat.
The Bears offense headed by Fields ranks 29th in the NFL in total offense, and Fields has thrown four interceptions after just three games. He has been sacked 13 times.
Since 2022, Fields is the most-sacked quarterback in the entire NFL, being sacked 68 times. But last season Fields made the most of that situation, evading pressuring defenders and rushing for highlight plays. It became Fields’ trademark, with critics calling him a “running-back.” As of late, Fields has been unable to reproduce his success.
It comes down to his pocket presence. Critics came at Fields’s play, but most criticism came towards Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. He seemed keen at integrating screen plays into the Fields repertoire and anchoring Fields in the pocket, something critics say they never saw enough of in the 2022 season.
In the off-season, the Bears acquired wide receiver DJ Moore from the Panthers, seemingly eliminating the excuse that Fields doesn’t have wide receivers. Moore managed multiple 1000-yd seasons with lackluster quarterback play, so it seemed Fields had his guy.
In Chicago’s first game against their rival, the Green Bay Packers, Moore had two receptions for 25 yards.
The coaches are not playing to Fields’s strengths. Fields is now constantly trying to stay in the pocket, and the doubt and uneasiness in his footwork and mannerisms is clear.
Going into a week two performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Fields was out two starting offensive linemen. The game was looking great—the Bears only trailed 13-10 at the half.
The Bears defense was short their defensive coordinator Alan Williams due to “personal issues,” leading Williams to not travel with the team. The defense quickly gave up a touchdown, making the score 20-10. The Bears however did respond by traveling down the field and scoring a touchdown.
The defense made a stop, and with just about two minutes left, the Bears had a chance. This is where Fields could make up for the mistakes. The play-calling that followed were three screens, all the same play and formation.
The drive ended in a pick-six caught by Buccaneers linebacker Shaq Barrett, and the game was over. Barrett dedicated the game-clinching turnover to his daughter Arrayah, who accidentally drowned at the age of two years in April.
Lavonte David commented on his perspective of what happened with Fields.
“It was the same formation. Everybody knew what was coming,” David said to reporters post game. This was quite embarrassing for the Bears organization.
Luke Getsy’s decision to call the same exact play three times in a row on the edge of the end zone makes it questionable to place the blame on Fields alone.
Fields was asked in a press conference why he thought he was thinking too much when throwing the ball, and his response might have opened Pandora’s box.
“Could be coaching, I think,” he said.
On Sept. 24, the Bears tried to bounce back against reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes II and the Kansas City Chiefs. It did not go well. After a first quarter where the Bears allowed just a touchdown, the defense fell apart, allowing 27 second quarter points. Fields would go on to throw for 99 yards, the fourth game in his career passing under 100 yards. The Bears would go on to lose 41-10.
But the Bears’ drought would end on Oct. 5, when they won a Thursday Night Football game against the Washington Commanders. The Bears won their first game since Oct. 24, 2022 (347 days). The victory was due in part to Fields’ 282 passing yards and 4 passing touchdowns. In the last two games, Fields has thrown 8 touchdowns, which is almost half of his 2022 passing touchdown total.
