Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had himself a pleasant little Sunday at Soldier Field.
He didn’t misfire on a move till one minute remained within the first half in opposition to the Chicago Bears, finishing his first 10 throws. He led the Dolphins to touchdowns on 4 of their first 5 possessions. He handed for 302 yards and three touchdowns and sparked his workforce to a 35-32 victory.
Yet when Tagovailoa arrived for his postgame information convention, even he was marveling at what Justin Fields had achieved. The Bears quarterback had put the Dolphins protection right into a Tilt-A-Whirl automotive for a lot of the afternoon, twisting, spinning, accelerating in all instructions. He made Soldier Field his private carnival grounds and by sport’s finish had run for extra yards in an NFL regular-season sport than any quarterback ever had.
“How many rushing yards did he have?” Tagovailoa puzzled. “Like 200?”
He was informed it was 178, breaking Michael Vick’s league report of 173 set in 2002 with the Atlanta Falcons. And Vick wanted extra time, punctuating his explosive afternoon with a game-ending 46-yard landing run to beat the Minnesota Vikings.
As a runner, Fields was much more explosive than that Sunday.
“I mean, dude is a baller,” Tagovailoa mentioned. “Dude is a baller. He was making performs within the move sport as properly.
“I’m happy for him. I’m happy for the success he’s finding. He’s finding himself in this league. People are starting to recognize (that) more, the more he gets out and has those opportunities to play.”
As impressed because the 62,377 followers inside Soldier Field had been, as excited as Fields’ teammates and coaches appeared after the sport, maybe essentially the most telling opinions of his day got here from the visiting locker room with the victorious Dolphins amazed by what that they had witnessed.
Miami defenders known as Fields legit and particular after a full day’s value of stress and frustration whereas attempting to comprise the Bears quarterback.
“Justin Fields is as dynamic with the ball in his hands as any player in the league,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel mentioned.
Remember, simply final season McDaniel was the San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator, watching All-Pro receiver Deebo Samuel rack up 1,770 yards from scrimmage and 14 touchdowns as a fairly dynamic participant with the ball in his arms.
On Sunday, McDaniel left Chicago dizzied by Fields’ extraordinary playmaking skill.
A case of Fields hysteria amongst Bears followers is one factor, completely anticipated as town strains as much as drink from the fountain of hope. Now, although, heads throughout the league appear to be turning with admiration and intrigue about what Fields is doing and the place he could be headed. Even in a loss, this appeared to be a signature efficiency and attainable catalyst for a lot greater issues.
Here’s your Week 9 quarterback rewind.
Defining second
The second-longest play of Fields’ profession — run or move — got here on the Bears’ first drive of the second half, an electrifying 61-yard landing scramble on third-and-5.
Fields needed to throw to Darnell Mooney over the center, however Mooney turned away simply as Fields was about to fireside. So Fields turned on the jets, surpassing a operating pace of 20 mph in response to Next Gen Stats, and left 5 Dolphins defenders in his wake.
Tight finish Cole Kmet was ready on the Bears 45-yard line as a attainable check-down possibility. Then Fields got here whirring previous.
“It was like, ‘Holy cow!’” Kmet mentioned. “When he took off past me, it was pretty nice. I don’t know if there’s anybody else in the league that can do that.”
Of Fields’ 15 speeding makes an attempt, 9 got here on scrambles. He had six runs of at the least 12 yards. He once more confirmed how electrical he will be as a runner.
It has been a very long time since Bears followers left a loss feeling so enthusiastic. That’s a credit score to the vitality Fields creates when he’s making massive performs. Sunday’s four-touchdown outburst and a record-setting day on the bottom elevated perception ranges.
“The quarterback is the No. 1 position in this sport — and really all of sports,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus mentioned. “So it’s really a joy to see him mature, see him get better and see him wanting to improve every single week. This week is going to be no different.”
On the brilliant facet
Late within the first half, with a positive one-on-one matchup in opposition to Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, Mooney ran a decisive and crisp nook route contained in the purple zone on third-and-8 from the 16. Fields trusted the play the entire manner. He trusted the route combos, trusted the pocket, trusted his arm.
Once Mooney arrange Howard together with his break, the Bears receiver knew the play was over.
“I just tried to run as fast as I could to the back pylon,” Mooney mentioned. “I knew the ball was going to be up there.”
Fields knew Bears receiver Dante Pettis might display Howard considerably after which maintain the protection together with his put up route. Fields centered on giving Mooney a super ball to catch.
“Really couldn’t ask for a better play call in that situation,” Fields mentioned.
It can be onerous to ask for a greater throw and catch both.
That was the second of three Fields landing passes, the primary sport in his profession wherein he threw for 3 TDs. The different two scoring passes went to Kmet, each on well-designed play-action ideas.
Kmet’s first landing, from 18 yards out, was the results of a superbly executed play faux by Fields, baiting the Dolphins protection to converge on what regarded like an influence run by Khalil Herbert. The play design did the remaining, with Kmet sneaking out to the flat uncovered. It was a easy pitch-and-catch, and Kmet used a lead block from Equanimeous St. Brown to get into the top zone.
“That’s a play we’ve been working since really back to (organized team activities),” Kmet mentioned.
Kmet’s second rating, on a 4-yard reception early within the fourth quarter, once more clicked with each Fields and Kmet promoting the run. Once Kmet launched from edge rusher Melvin Ingram, security Javon Holland had little probability of catching as much as him.
In three September video games, Mooney and Kmet mixed for less than six catches and 67 yards as Eberflus confused that the Bears offense wanted to do a greater job “highlighting our skill.” Over the final three video games, Mooney and Kmet mixed for twenty-four grabs, 229 yards and 4 touchdowns.
It’s one other sprint of statistical proof that the offense is rising. The Bears are averaging 376 yards and 31 factors over the past three video games.
“It’s all about how we come to work each day,” Herbert mentioned. “It’s executing with guys diving into the details of things.”
Eberflus is for certain the manufacturing uptick is tied to changes the Bears made throughout their “mini-bye,” once they had 11 days between video games in opposition to the Washington Commanders and New England Patriots and labored to tailor the offense round their gamers’ strengths.
For Fields, that meant discovering changes that get him on the transfer extra, each with designed runs and passing ideas that shift the pocket.
“We are doing a lot of good things in protection to help ourselves moving the pocket and giving sight lines and vision lines for the quarterback that he likes,” Eberflus mentioned. “That is really good for him. He’s doing a great job with that.”
Uh-oh
Is it nitpicking, amid all of the Fields hype and hope, to level out the Bears misplaced Sunday? By three factors. Despite having the ball twice down the stretch to tie the sport or take the lead.
The outcomes of these drives had been as follows:
- Nine performs, 24 internet yards, punt.
- Six performs, 14 internet yards, turnover on downs.
The Bears known as 12 passing performs on these closing two possessions but wound up with solely two completions for 3 yards.
The outcomes of the opposite 10 performs: 4 incompletions, 4 tuck-and-run scrambles for 30 yards, two sacks.
The officiating crew missed a blatant move interference penalty on Dolphins cornerback Keion Crossen in opposition to Bears receiver Chase Claypool with 1 minute, 29 seconds remaining, a blunder that price the Bears 37 yards and an opportunity to maneuver properly inside field-goal vary with loads of time left for a possible landing.
St. Brown then dropped Fields’ closing move, a well-placed, on-the-move dart that might have produced a achieve of 12 to 14 yards on fourth-and-10.
Eberflus was requested about these game-deciding possessions and their worth to a younger quarterback and a rising offense that wants expertise in such conditions.
“It’s great to put them in the moment to win the game,” Eberflus mentioned. “I told the guys in the locker room, ‘Guys, just keep working. Keep having determination. Get tighter as a group. We’re building the football team.’ They understand that.”
There are quite a lot of causes the struggles of the Bears passing sport haven’t absolutely dissipated. But the very fact stays the Bears have the league’s least productive passing assault, averaging a paltry 125.7 yards. They’re 68 passing yards per sport in need of even cracking the highest 25.
Fields has did not move for 200 yards in eight of his 9 begins this season and 14 of his 19 profession begins. Eventually, as electrifying as Fields is as a runner, he must turn into the pilot of a high-flying passing assault, too, exhibiting constant pocket poise and a capability to beat high quality opponents in massive moments together with his arm.
Of the Bears’ 10 third-down conversions Sunday, six got here on Fields runs. The Bears transformed 3 of seven third-down possibilities when Fields threw the ball, together with a first-quarter deep ball to Claypool that drew a 28-yard move interference flag.
Like Eberflus, Fields was requested after the loss about these two closing scoreless possessions.
“We’d like to capitalize on that situation when we do have a chance to go down and score and tie the game,” he mentioned. “Just have to execute on those big plays.”
The Bears didn’t and misplaced. And even with all the encouragement from the offensive outburst, an opportunity to punctuate the day with a game-winning expertise slipped previous.
Kmet supplied the ultimate phrase Monday.
“That’s the next step, right?” he mentioned. “We’re putting up points now; the past few weeks we’ve been able to do that. But if we want to be a championship team, that’s what the NFL is. It’s two-minute situations, end of half, end of the game, executing in those situations. That’s the next step for the offense.”
Odds and ends
- A second-quarter end-around to Mooney resulted in a modest 2-yard pickup. Fields acknowledged after the sport that play is designed for Mooney to throw. ”That’s alleged to be somewhat trick play,” Fields mentioned. “I was definitely looking for the ball.” After handing Mooney the ball, Fields sneaked out of the backfield and was unaccounted for on the left facet of the sphere. Had Mooney had an opportunity to set, he most likely would have had an 18-yard landing move to his quarterback. But there was an excessive amount of commotion within the backfield with Dolphins defensive deal with Christian Wilkins and linebacker Jaelan Phillips disrupting the stream. That left Mooney to run for no matter he might get. It was the second consecutive week the Bears did not hit on a well-designed trick play. A brief move and across-the-field lateral idea in opposition to the Cowboys malfunctioned within the second quarter in Week 8.
- Among the various gushing endorsements of Fields’ efficiency, former NFL linebacker Emmanuel Acho’s temporary video testimonial gained traction Monday. Acho known as Fields “the most dangerous quarterback in football right now,” praising him for his savvy , accuracy and athleticism.
- Cody Whitehair’s return after a four-game absence on account of a knee harm was welcome for the offensive line. Whitehair returned to his spot at left guard. With Riley Reiff making the final two begins at proper deal with, the road has used six beginning fives in 9 video games.
- Kmet snapped a 28-game drought and not using a landing when he made a 10-yard scoring seize in opposition to the Cowboys. He added two extra touchdowns Sunday. Just as notable, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy gave Kmet two possibilities to run the ball on consecutive performs within the first quarter. Kmet turned a jet sweep right into a 8-yard achieve, then transformed on third-and-1 by motioning below heart and taking a modified QB sneak forward for a yard. “I was pumped up when Luke gave me the nod two plays in a row,” Kmet mentioned.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com