Late within the first quarter Sunday, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields made a easy prognosis on a zone-read play, noticing Green Bay Packers linebacker Kingsley Enagbare crashing down and opting to maintain the soccer quite than give it to operating again David Montgomery.
Yes, the Packers had cornerback Keisean Dixon attacking from Fields’ proper, making an attempt to hem within the quarterback. But Fields ditched Dixon with one decisive minimize.
“It was just me and the nickel,” he mentioned.
Still 5 yards behind the road of scrimmage and 10 in need of midfield, that’s all Fields wanted. One transfer, open house and his foot on the gasoline. Off he went — previous the Packers line, on to the second stage, by way of the secondary.
Fifty-five yards later, Fields had his eighth speeding landing of the season, one other big-play jolt that had the Soldier Field crowd alive and rocking.
Left deal with Braxton Jones, who was pulling on the play, barely flinched when he appeared up and noticed the again of Fields’ jersey.
“Justin was gone,” Jones mentioned. “When you get him out in space, you know he’s going to do great things with the ball. I wasn’t surprised. At all. His legs are crazy.”
Too simple.
Too. Darn. Easy.
There was a time not that way back when the Bears offense appeared allergic to lengthy touchdowns. From Week 8 of 2018 till Week 14 of 2020, the Bears failed to attain on any snap they took from inside their territory.
That was a span of 38 video games, 430 possessions and a pair of,464 offensive performs.
Now the explosive touchdowns are coming from Fields nearly each week. Sunday’s 55-yard TD run was Fields’ third speeding rating from Bears territory in his final 4 begins. In the Super Bowl period, no quarterback had ever had three landing runs of not less than 50 yards in a profession — a lot much less in a 29-day span.
Fields additionally has two landing passes of not less than 50 yards this season and has accounted for 22 performs — touchdowns or in any other case — of not less than 25 yards.
His playmaking knack is indeniable and has breathed life right into a season that in any other case goes nowhere. The Bears are 3-10 and in final place by two video games within the NFC North. They have gained solely as soon as in 10 video games since September and head into their Week 14 open date searching for some wanted decompression.
Fields, although, has given the fan base an invigorating injection of hope for no matter might turn out to be past this season.
Here’s your complete Week 13 QB rewind.
Defining second
It may very well be argued that Fields ought to need his first of two late interceptions again, a throw to Equanimeous St. Brown down the numbers that Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander jumped and picked off. It was a pricey turnover in a vital second with the Bears on the march on the Packers 43-yard line and trailing by some extent with lower than three minutes to play.
That move got here on first down. Instead of the Bears persevering with a possible go-ahead drive, they gave the Packers the ball again.
Four snaps later, after a 46-yard Christian Watson landing run and a Marcedes Lewis 2-point conversion reception, the Bears have been toast, trailing by two scores and left to try a determined rally that ended with Fields’ second interception with 44 seconds remaining.
However, if coaches and critics are going to problem Fields to make extra NFL-level anticipation throws, counting on his receivers to be the place they’re purported to be once they’re purported to be there, it’s laborious to blast Fields for making that throw to St. Brown on a curl route with a perception that the veteran could be extra explosive getting out and in of his break.
St. Brown wasn’t fairly fast sufficient. And it left the door open for Alexander.
“That’s a trust throw,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus mentioned. “When you have a trust throw, that means (Fields) is reading it and, man, he’s going to let it rip. The guys have to do a great job of stepping up and making those plays. I thought their corner made a nice play; he jumped it. But hopefully our receiver can jump out and knock that down if possible.”
On Monday, St. Brown described his vantage level.
“They squat on curl routes, and (Alexander) is a good player,” he mentioned. “He made a great play on the curl route that I ran. And, yeah, I’ve got to try to get that ball out sooner.”
One day the Bears hope to have a extra proficient receiving corps that will turn out to be extra useful to Fields. And the very last thing they’ll afford now could be for his or her quarterback to develop hesitant habits due to a below-average supporting forged.
Right now, Fields’ decision-making deserves nearly as a lot scrutiny as his execution. And in that exact occasion, with a big-picture view of his growth, it might be imprudent to blast Fields for that turnover.
It additionally could be good for Fields and the Bears offense to capitalize on one in all these fourth-quarter alternatives in shut video games. In every of Fields’ final 4 begins, the Bears had the ball within the closing six minutes with an opportunity to drive for a tying or go-ahead rating. All 4 occasions, the Bears failed — with two interceptions and two turnovers on downs.
Even Fields’ largest cheerleaders shouldn’t ignore his fourth-quarter struggles. In 12 begins this season, he has a 53.8 passer score within the fourth quarter and has thrown six of his 10 interceptions then. .
Ten occasions this season the Bears offense has taken possession with six minutes or much less remaining and an opportunity to tie or go forward. Their solely scoring drive in these conditions was a four-play, zero-yard field-goal drive to beat the Houston Texans in Week 3.
This is a crucial checkpoint in a younger quarterback’s maturation. And Fields nonetheless has to show he can turn out to be a constant and dependable late-game murderer.
Eberflus was requested Monday what he manufactured from the criticism placed on Fields for not ending massive drives late in video games.
“It’s the nature of the position, right?” he mentioned. “That’s what it is.”
The Bears have had the ball 17 occasions within the fourth quarter this season with an opportunity to tie or go forward and have solely two touchdowns and a discipline aim. Fields has a 41.5 passer score in these possessions with no landing passes and three interceptions.
Eberflus agreed Monday that ultimately it is going to be on Fields to will the offense over that hump in game-deciding conditions.
“Yes, I believe that to be true,” he mentioned. “I know the man inside after being with him for a year and the grit he has and the talent he has. No question he’s going to get it done.”
On the brilliant facet
As a passer, Fields had one in all his finest days as a professional. With dependable safety up entrance and a gradual pocket presence, he accomplished 20 of 25 passes for 254 yards. He additionally wasn’t sacked. There have been few indicators of anxiousness, with Fields displaying an encouraging stage of command.
“I think the passing game really took a big step today,” he mentioned after the sport. “I just felt comfortable out there going through (my) progressions.”
Maybe this was a step in the suitable path because the offense continues to evolve.
Fields had solely two true scrambles, a 6-yard run on third-and-9 on the opening drive and a 1-yard scramble within the second half. Instead he confirmed growing pocket endurance and imaginative and prescient, retaining his eyes down the sector and searching for open targets as he purchased time and glided away from the Packers rush.
His second-longest completion was a 49-yard strike up the left sideline to N’Keal Harry, a 50-50 ball he launched after going by way of his first two reads, then spinning out the again door of the pocket. With Harry a half-step behind Alexander, Fields gave his receiver an opportunity to indicate his stuff.
“I already knew it was a catch because he’s probably the one of the best jump-ball guys that we have on our team,” Fields mentioned. “So at that point I threw it up, and of course he made a hell of a catch.”
Eberflus labeled Fields’ 24-yard, third-quarter completion to Cole Kmet as “the most impressive play of the game.” On that sequence, Fields confirmed nice instincts in climbing the pocket and located Kmet alone alongside the left sideline for an enormous acquire to transform on third-and-10.
Fields confirmed related pocket presence on a 14-yard dart to Dante Pettis on the identical drive.
Perhaps Fields’ left shoulder damage made him a tad extra hesitant to show passing performs into operating alternatives on the first signal of stress. Perhaps he merely is changing into just a little extra polished at what the Bears are asking him to prioritize as a passer when he feels warmth from the frenzy. Maybe Sunday’s efficiency supplied a mix of each.
Regardless, the second 12 months quarterback continues to indicate indicators of development as he good points extra expertise.
Uh-oh
For his second consecutive recreation, Fields’ closing move was a loss-sealing interception, this one a poor throw and even worse choice on a ball pushed up the suitable sideline to Pettis.
Fields appeared to double-clutch on the play and didn’t take what appeared like a positive 5-yard acquire to the identical facet of the sector to Velus Jones Jr. Instead he threw into heavy congestion close to the tip zone and gift-wrapped an interception for Dixon.
That was Fields’ tenth interception this season, an attention-grabbing whole given how occasionally the Bears move — an NFL-low 279 makes an attempt.
Fields’ interception fee has spiked to 4.0%, a quantity value keeping track of. Over the final 10 seasons, amongst qualifying quarterbacks, 17 have completed a season with an interception fee at 3.7% or larger — together with Fields as a rookie.
That checklist features a handful of gamers who have been established standouts: Peyton Manning (5.1% in 2015), Andrew Luck (4.1% in 2015) and Eli Manning (4.9% in 2013). Josh Allen sputtered to a 3.8% interception fee in his rookie season of 2018.
But the fraternity additionally contains Nick Mullens, Baker Mayfield, DeShone Kizer, Terrelle Pryor, Matt Schaub and Christian Ponder amongst others. Only two quarterbacks — Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick — posted an interception fee of three.7% or larger in a number of seasons. Fields is in peril of becoming a member of them.
Perhaps much more regarding, Fields’ fourth-quarter interception fee is 9.2%, in line with The Football Database, with six interceptions in 65 passes.
“It’s just about making good decisions, obviously, in the last part of the game,” Eberflus mentioned. “He’s going to do that. It’s a process of learning and getting better and he’ll get that done.”
Among quarterbacks with not less than 50 fourth-quarter passing makes an attempt, the NFL’s interception fee leaders are Tua Tagavailoa (0.0%), Aaron Rodgers (0.8%), Joe Burrow (0.9%) and Geno Smith (1.1%).
Odds and ends
- Fields rushed solely six occasions for 71 yards. Three of these runs have been tuck-and-run scrambles and one other was a sneak to transform on third-and-1 within the first half. That left solely two different designed runs, a dip from how the Bears had been working. Fields didn’t have a run referred to as for him after halftime, and the Bears squeezed solely three factors out of 5 possessions. Eberflus was requested Monday for his overview. “The way the game was going, we were passing it so well, I think we were just going with that more,” he mentioned. “I think that was the right thing to do.” Eberflus went on to say the Bears would favor to have Fields’ designed runs be extra situational — on third down, contained in the purple zone, within the two-minute drill — than a predominant staple of the offense.
- The Bears scratched fullback Khari Blasingame from their plans Saturday night time when he grew to become unwell and was made inactive Sunday. Tight finish Trevon Wesco was tabbed to slip into Blasingame’s position on offense, however Wesco suffered a game-ending leg damage within the first quarter. That required some on-the-fly adjusting by the Bears coaches that proved difficult.
- The Bears gained the coin flip and opted to take the ball first, a departure from their regular m.o. of deferring till the second half. They went 53 yards with the opening possession and kicked a 40-yard discipline aim to take the lead. The Bears have scored on 10 of their 13 opening possessions this season with three touchdowns and 10 discipline targets.
- The Bears had a 54.6% third-down conversion fee (6 of 11), the fourth consecutive recreation Fields has began wherein they transformed greater than half of their third-down tries. For the season, the Bears are as much as 45.1% on third down, on monitor to interrupt the franchise file in that class (43.9% in 1989). They rank sixth within the NFL behind the Bills, Chiefs, Bengals, Eagles and 49ers.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com