With the Bears sitting at 3-9, it’s hard not to look to the 2023 offseason with five games left. But quarterback Justin Fields made a lost season worth watching with some spectacular performances. Until he got hurt.
Fields suffered a separated left shoulder in a Week 11 loss to the Falcons, and there’s a debate about whether the Bears should sit Fields for the rest of the season.
I’ll admit, the appeal of getting to watch Fields at some point during these final five games is strong. After all, it was exciting waking up on Sunday mornings knowing we’d get to watch Fields play football. That’s what this season has been all about — Fields’ development, and we watched him blossom into a star before our very eyes.
But the Bears have the second-worst record in the league, and they’re not contending for anything (outside a top-three draft pick). They already won this season because they found their guy in Fields. So why risk further injury to your franchise QB?
With that said, Matt Eberflus (and Fields, himself) made it clear that Fields will play when he’s healthy. That could mean he suits up against Green Bay. It could mean resting him until after the bye. Or it could even mean shutting him down for the season. We simply don’t know.
As the Bears gear up for a Week 13 game against the Packers, host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) discuss the right way to handle Fields for the remainder of the season and preview Sunday’s matchup against Green Bay.
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