Let’s pretend that Bears general manager Ryan Poles has just announced that Justin Fields is the quarterback to lead the franchise to a Super Bowl title. That he’s all in on the kid and that he’s willing to devote the considerable amount of team money that will come with such a decision.
Plenty of people will applaud the decision. Some in that group will give Poles a standing ovation, and some will fall to their knees while weeping tears of joy.
The other side, ranging from the agnostics about the quarterback to those who say there can’t be a God if Fields is the Bears’ starter going forward, will repair to their darkened rooms and wonder what they did to deserve such a fate.
This column is for the latter faction, to which I belong.
What would make us feel better about Fields?
The Bears play the Packers on Sunday, and there are several things he can do at Lambeau Field to make a long-term future with him seem more palatable.
Let’s start with the most important one: winning. Not just any kind of winning. This version is one in which the Bears win because of him in the fourth quarter. It’s no secret that much of Fields’ best work has come early in games and that he struggles in the fourth quarter. His passer rating in the first quarter this season, when many of the plays are scripted, is 111.4. In the fourth, it’s 52.0.
In three seasons and 37 starts, he’s credited with only two fourth-quarter comebacks, including the Bears’ 12-10 victory over the Vikings this season. Part of that has to do with playing for bad to average teams, but still. Somewhere in there, you’d think we’d find more evidence of a clutch player. Sunday would be a great time for that guy to show himself.
Not all games are created equal. The Packers, the Bears’ main rival, are playing for a postseason spot. The Bears aren’t. They’re hoping to mimic the Lions, whose victory over Green Bay in the final game last season knocked the Pack out of the playoffs. Detroit used that as a springboard to win the NFC North this year. So Sunday’s game is bigger than the typical Bears-Packers Armageddon.
Fields’ leading the Bears to a victory in dramatic fashion would help those of us struggling with the idea of him as the franchise’s long-term quarterback and the idea of the massive contract that eventually will go with that. But we wouldn’t say no to other signs and wonders Sunday.
I’d like to see him stand in the pocket, look at the middle of the field and throw the ball between defenders and into the hands of receivers. Not to wide-open receivers or to receivers who are asked to beat an opponent to a jump ball.
The kind of throw I’m describing here is the throw that big-time quarterbacks — or young quarterbacks trending in that direction — make. If I were Poles, I certainly would have wanted to see that out of Fields before I made the decision that likely will define his stay as a GM in Chicago.
My guess is that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy doesn’t call those plays for a reason – because Fields can’t be trusted to make the throws. And, yes, before you set a decibel record for booing, most of us can agree that Getsy’s work hasn’t been acceptable.
Sunday would be a nice time for Fields to show some improved accuracy. His 61.0 completion percentage ranks 29th among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 200 passes this season. Not nearly good enough. If we’re in the business of trying to sway Fields doubters (you know who I am), let’s ask him to complete 20 of 30 passes for 250-plus yards and a couple touchdowns against the Packers. No interceptions or fumbles would be nice, too.
We ask so much because we give so much.
You might have heard that the Bears have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. Two quarterbacks could go 1-2 — USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. You might have heard that, too. It’s a great place to be for a team looking to change its fortunes, but it’s also a decision that can haunt a franchise for years to come.
In our pretend scenario, Poles has decided to stick with Fields. He can use the top pick on someone like Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. or he can trade it to get more draft picks and, theoretically, more talent.
I, and others, might feel a little better if Fields shows a few things Sunday that warrant such confidence in him. Are a few pinpoint passes on the final possession to beat the Packers asking too much? Let’s find out.
