In a prove-it season, Justin Fields has begun doing just that.
Finally.
In the past two games against inferior defenses, he’s stated his case to be the Bears’ quarterback of the future. Sunday, against another bad defense, he’ll try to keep building.
Fields has thrown at least four touchdown passes in each of the last two games. Do it again against the Vikings on Sunday at Soldier Field, and he’ll become just the sixth to do so in NFL history. The others: Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Drew Brees, Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson.
The Bears have averaged 34 points, the second-most in the NFL, over the past two games, They lead the NFL in yards the last two weeks, too — their 922 is five more than the juggernaut Dolphins.
The Bears would have been thrilled with half as much production when they were averaging less than 16 points through Fields’ first three games this year.
“We knew that we could do it the whole time,” Fields said. “I think at this point it’s keeping it going and putting up the same amount of points and being as efficient as we’ve been the last two weeks.”
Tight end Cole Kmet said his primary emotion was relief after his team snapped their 14-game losing streak.
“You maybe start thinking ‘Are we as bad as we’re thinking? Or, ‘Are we as bad as we look?’” Kmet said “We’re not.”
But are they the team that averages 34 points per game? Probably not — but they can pretend to be the next two weeks when they play vulnerable defenses.
“We’re still a 1-4 football team, ya know?” Kmet said. “So there’s still a long way to go. You can see where it can come together. But it’s going to be on us. We have ground to make up after the first five weeks.”
They can start by beating the Vikings, who, surprisingly, find themselves in the same position as the Bears: 1-4 with questions swirling about what they’ll look like next year.
The Lions are the class of the NFC North. Everyone else is fighting for second place, and no team has more than two wins. That squad, the Packers, have a bye this week.
The Bears spent last year rebuilding but planned on competing this year. The Vikings are one year removed from winning the division but have won one game — against the winless Panthers — in 2023.
Like the Bears, the Vikings have a second-year coach and general manager tandem who inherited their quarterback and are fumbling through their second season. Unlike the Bears, though, it seems likely to get worse.
The Vikings’ best player, receiver Justin Jefferson, will miss the next four games after going on injured reserve this week. Given the Vikings’ record and Jefferson’s displeasure with his contract, the receiver might not hurry back even after he’s eligible to return.
With questions swirling about whether the Vikings would be better off losing games and aiming to draft from a premier quarterback class in April, Kirk Cousins was asked this week if he’d consider waiving his no-trade clause. He’s in the last year of his contract and could help a wannabe playoff team. Cousins said worrying about anything but Sunday’s game is “is just not worth my time or energy or attention.”
Fields might have a better chance of playing for the Bears next year than Cousins does for the Vikings. To get there, though, Fields needs to keep stacking success. And to start the Bears’ first win streak since late in the 2021 season.
“It’s about consistency, right?” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “The guys have shown that. … It really is just trending this way. We feel like the consistency has got to be there now.”
