Justin Fields has three years’ worth of Houdini-like escape acts on the Soldier Field turf.
Sunday, in what could be his last game here as a member of the Bears, he posted one of his best. On third-and-eight midway through the third quarter of a 37-17 win, he was blitzed by Falcons edge rusher Bud Dupree. Untouched, Dupree took dead run at Fields and grabbed him with his right arm.
Fields ducked underneath it, spun completely around and tried sprinting right. Defensive lineman David Onyemata had both arms around his waist and tried to throw the quarterback to the ground. Fields landed on his right foot, stumbled back a yard, planted his right foot and sprinted up the right hash — and out of bounds — for a 13-yard gain.
On a day the Bears secured the No. 1 pick in the draft with another Panthers loss, general manager Ryan Poles has to watch magic acts like what Fields did Sunday and ask himself an increasingly difficult question: Is he sure he wants to part with Fields?
Caleb Williams, the USC star, is considered a generational quarterback. But Sunday, Fields at least made Poles think twice.
He went 20-for-32 for 268 yards, a passing touchdown and a 99.5 passer rating. Fields ran 11 times for 45 yards and another touchdown. Seven of the Bears’ first 12 drives ended with a score.
Poles has vowed to take his time with team decisions.
“We’ll have those discussions at the end of the year. …” he said on the team’s official pregame show on ESPN1000. “We’ll put the tape on, kinda go over the big picture and make the best decision for the Bears as possible.”
Fields’ magical plays aren’t the problem, of course — he’s made those ever since his preseason debut at Soldier Field against the Dolphins. The Bears need Fields to be an elite passer, and he’s yet to show that on a consistent basis. He looked the part Sunday, though — with snow swirling, he marched the Bears to three first-half touchdowns. The Bears’ first possession of the game — which began when the Falcons’ Younghoe Koo left a 50-yard field goal short — began with Fields’ 32-yard deep shot to DJ Moore down the right sideline and ended when we found the receiver in the back left corner of the south end zone for a seven-yard score.
After Koo hit the left upright on a 42-yard try, Fields led the Bears down the field and scored a nine-yard touchdown a planned run over the left guard. On the next play, the Bears gave up a 75-yard touchdown to running back Tyler Allgeier on a screen, but the Bears countered with a two-yard Roschon Johnson touchdown. They led 21-7 at halftime but only after tackling the Falcons’ Dee Alford, who returned Cairo Santos’ short 55-yard field goal attempt all the way to the Bears’ 13. The Bears had to settle for three field goals in the second half; but were buoyed by a defense that intercepted four passes.
The 7-9 Bears, who have won four of their last five, will finish the season in Green Bay.
