Bears quarterback Justin Fields took a brutal hit from Packers safety Jonathan Owens with 8:50 left in their 17-9 loss Sunday that prompted officials to remove him from the game to be checked for a concussion. Fields slid at the end of a six-yard run, and Owens hit him late and high, causing his head to bang against the ground.
He stayed in the game for three plays after the hit, then was sent to the sideline for one play and returned. He said he was confident he did not have a concussion.
Owens wasn’t flagged.
Hoping for a good outcome for Justin Fields. This hit is so hard you can almost feel the forces acting on his brain. Brain tissue stretches, compresses, and even violently rotates with impacts like this. pic.twitter.com/j1q5TpErhv
— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) January 8, 2024
“At this point it’s just, like, y’all see it,” Fields said, adding that he filtered his answer carefully to avoid getting fined. “The fact that I had to come out two plays later for a head injury on a play that I slid on should speak for itself.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he couldn’t see the play, but objected to the official based on seeing Fields’ reaction.
“I reacted to it for sure because our guy has taken some hits through the course of the year and I want to make sure we are protecting our quarterback,” he said. “I’m always going to be battling for our guys.”
Owens and Fields spoke after the game and didn’t appear to have a conflict.
