Justin Fields’ fifth landing go of the season was one other one he didn’t absolutely see.
It was a easy idea, a quick-hit display screen left designed to get Chicago Bears operating again Khalil Herbert shifting behind a wall of blockers. But instantly after the snap, New England Patriots defensive finish Deatrich Wise darted into the passing lane, disrupting Fields’ imaginative and prescient and timing. Alertly, Fields double-clutched, went into second baseman mode together with his arm slot and steered his throw round Wise’s left aspect.
“We work on that in practice,” Fields mentioned, “just maneuvering the screens around that D-end.”
It was a artful throw adopted by a straightforward catch.
Off Herbert went.
Yet as he went, Fields was face down on the Gillette Stadium turf, having been smushed between Wise and outdoors linebacker Matthew Judon and absorbing a nasty hit that left him with a welt above his left eye.
Fields by no means noticed Herbert’s 25-yard dash to the tip zone. Nor did he even understand the operating again had caught the go.
“I got smacked on that play,” Fields mentioned. “I didn’t know he scored until somebody came up and told me.”
And should you thought Wise and Judon have been politely checking on Fields’ bodily well-being and providing just a little pick-me-up after their huge hit, suppose once more.
“They were arguing with me,” Fields mentioned. “Because I went to the ref saying, like, ‘Where is the flag (for roughing the passer)?’ But they were yelling at me that that’s not a flag.”
Nope. No flag. But it was six factors.
What a second that was for the Bears. The 25-yard landing toss punctuated a 75-yard response drive after the Patriots, behind rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe, had scored 14 unanswered factors in just a little greater than three minutes.
Fields’ go to Herbert put the Bears forward for the remainder of the evening, jump-starting a stretch throughout which the offense scored on 5 consecutive possessions on the best way to a dominant 33-14 victory.
Was there something particularly outstanding about Fields’ lone landing go? Maybe not. But it was one other present of his playmaking instincts and his toughness to resist a pounding.
It additionally was a part of the Bears’ greatest scoring output since a 41-17 drubbing of the Jacksonville Jaguars in December 2020. This displaying, although, felt extra promising and significant.
“I’m just proud of the way everybody came in and executed,” Fields mentioned.
Here’s your Week 7 QB rewind.
Defining second
The nominee listing this week was a lot, for much longer than typical. But look no additional than Fields’ 19-yard completion to Equanimeous St. Brown on third-and-9 within the first quarter for instance of poise resulting in manufacturing. That sequence offered clear proof of Fields’ pocket poise for a lot of the evening.
He confirmed spectacular endurance and imaginative and prescient, browsing ahead after which to the correct by means of the pocket. As he averted strain from Judon and rolled proper, his eyes continued scanning downfield, the place he noticed St. Brown. Once he did, he threw a strike for a key first down that pushed the Bears into Patriots territory on the primary of three landing drives.
The Bears wound up changing 11 of 18 third downs, a 61.1% charge that was their finest since going 8 of 13 in opposition to Washington in a Monday evening win in September 2019. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy considers a 48% conversion charge his gold normal, noting that tops the NFL in most seasons. So it’s simple to claim that the Bears’ third-down productiveness Monday happy Getsy.
Within these 11 conversions have been 5 Fields completions and 5 Fields runs.
“Every week we emphasize that,” Fields mentioned Wednesday at Halas Hall. “We always say: situational execution. … I really think that’s carryover from practice.”
Fields’ 20-yard scramble on third-and-14 on the ultimate drive of the primary half was enormous. That was adopted three performs later by an off-script, 17-yard completion to Darnell Mooney on third-and-16, shifting the Bears nearer for Cairo Santos’ half-ending 23-yard subject aim.
Fields additionally escaped strain within the second half and drilled a 26-yard completion to Cole Kmet on third-and-7 on a possession that ended with Santos’ 50-yard subject aim for a 26-14 lead. (More on that play shortly.)
Was all of it excellent? No. Two of Fields’ greatest errors got here on third down, together with his second-quarter interception on a go to St. Brown that was deflected close to the road of scrimmage.
Fields additionally took a 9-yard sack and fumbled out of bounds on a third-and-10 play throughout which he held the ball for 7.2 seconds ready for one thing to return open.
Still, an 11-for-18 third-down displaying in a sport wherein the Bears scored six occasions is nothing to scoff at. Now it’s about constructing on that and making that form of execution a constant a part of this offense.
On the intense aspect
Credit Getsy for flipping to a brand new tab within the Bears playbook after a protracted week of dialog and preparation. It was clear early that Getsy and the coaches felt assured turning Fields free on a excessive quantity of designed runs that left the Patriots strained and pissed off.
Sure, Fields’ most dazzling run might have been his scrambling magic for a 20-yard pickup on third-and-14 on the ultimate drive of the primary half. That was a kind of adrenalizing tuck-and-run escape acts that affirm how deadly Fields will be when he’s improvising together with his legs.
But that was the exception Monday. Ten of Fields’ 14 dashing makes an attempt got here on designed runs. There have been three zone-read performs, two attracts, two profitable third-and-1 quarterback sneaks, a pair of keepers off jet sweep fakes and one quarterback sweep.
Fields’ 3-yard landing run within the first quarter merely requested him to make use of his athleticism and energy. After faking a velocity sweep to Velus Jones Jr., Fields ran to his left, reduce inside Patriots cornerback Myles Bryant after which powered into the tip zone. Cornerback Jack Jones made a enterprise resolution on the aim line and — with a 5-inch, 53-pound measurement drawback in opposition to Fields — steered away from contact.
That’s a snapshot of how beneficial Fields’ mixture of measurement and athleticism is.
He expressed satisfaction after the sport with the package deal of designed runs.
“That brought a whole different element to our offense,” Fields mentioned. “We executed that well.”
The problem now will probably be persevering with to mix these designed run ideas into every week’s plan whereas making a aware effort to maintain Fields protected.
Uh-oh
Even throughout an encouraging efficiency in a profitable effort, Fields’ ball safety left motive for concern — hardly signal because the Bears put together to face a Dallas Cowboys protection that has an NFL-best 29 sacks plus 12 takeaways throughout a 5-2 begin.
For the second consecutive sport, Fields had a go batted on the line of scrimmage and intercepted, this one swatted into the air by Judon and picked off by Myles Bryant within the second quarter.
Fields additionally was charged with 4 fumbles — although the Bears have been lucky to not lose any. One was the fault of operating again David Montgomery, who dropped a pitch from Fields within the first quarter. But Fields additionally fumbled on the finish of that third-and-10 play within the second quarter throughout which he held the ball far too lengthy with out selecting both to tuck and run or to heave the soccer into the Patriots bench space.
He fumbled once more late within the first half whereas making an attempt to flee from Patriots linebacker Anfernee Jennings, dislodging the ball from his palms together with his proper knee.
There was one other fumble on a mishandled snap within the third quarter.
In coach Matt Eberflus’ detail-oriented program, wherein defending the soccer is of excessive precedence, these miscues weren’t acceptable.
“Ball security is No. 1,” Eberflus mentioned Wednesday. “It’s important that everybody who handles the ball does a good job with the ball. That’s been brought to everybody’s attention.”
Odds and ends
- The Bears’ longest passing play was that 26-yard scramble-drill connection from Fields to Kmet on third-and-7 throughout a key third-quarter field-goal drive. Kmet made a pleasant catch on a back-shoulder ball and was clearly inbounds as he received his matchup in opposition to security Devin McCourty. The third-year tight finish hurried the soccer again to the officers and urged his teammates to hustle and get the subsequent snap off earlier than a possible Patriots problem. The Bears operated easily in that sequence, acquired the play off rapidly and gained 6 yards on a Montgomery run. After the sport, Kmet was requested if he felt like he didn’t make his catch inbounds. “That’s something we’ve been practicing since (organized team activities),” he mentioned. “Anything close in a big situation — that was a big third-down play — you just don’t know if they’re going to find a slight bobble or something when they look at it on replay. So we have our procedure with that.” That sequence was the byproduct of excellent teaching and crisp situational execution that has been taught and drilled and created a productive course of on sport evening. “It’s just the practice part of it,” Eberflus mentioned. “What we always say is we’ll see it out there (at practice) first. And we’ve seen it. We’ve done a good job of practicing that. You have to set those things up.”
- General supervisor Ryan Poles met with reporters within the Gillette Stadium press field earlier than kickoff. Among his most notable feedback was his inward-looking evaluation of how the Bears can higher make the most of Fields to set him up for achievement. That will stay a precedence for the teaching workers with enter and oversight from the entrance workplace. But together with that, Poles emphasised Fields’ duty with “the execution and the details of what he’s being asked to do and really speeding up to the game and making decisions quicker.” That processing and decision-making velocity must be stored below an intense microscope for the ultimate 10 video games. Poles additionally reiterated that a part of his analysis of Fields in 2022 revolves round “flashes,” with the quarterback needing to display accuracy, a capability to get the ball out on time and deep-ball potential pretty recurrently. “I think he has shown the flashes,” Poles mentioned.
- The Bears didn’t land a knockout punch within the third quarter when Fields took a first-down, play-action deep shot to Mooney from the Patriots 39-yard line. Mooney was in single protection in opposition to cornerback Jonathan Jones and ran a double transfer to show up the correct sideline. But Fields’ go to the tip zone sailed broad and out of bounds with out giving Mooney any alternative to display his ball expertise in a winnable one-on-one matchup. To the bare eye, this appeared like a repeat offense for Fields, a possible indicator of both faltering accuracy or wavering belief in his favourite receiver. But when Fields was requested about that sequence Wednesday, he defined his agitation. “I thought it was a dot,” he mentioned. “I thought I put it perfectly (for him). But it just kept rising and rising. Just a shot we took and I just overthrew him by a little bit.” As the season goes on, Fields should capitalize on such alternatives rather more incessantly.
- The Bears have been bracing for the worst with the toe harm that ended Lucas Patrick’s evening after 10 snaps. On Wednesday they moved Patrick to injured reserve with the acceptance he will probably be out awhile. That pushes Sam Mustipher again into the beginning function at heart and results in a possible mixture of Braxton Jones, Michael Schofield, Mustipher, Teven Jenkins and Larry Borom to start out Sunday. That quintet completed the sport in New England and would mark the fifth beginning line mixture the Bears have utilized in eight video games.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com