Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent will make his fourth consecutive begin for the Chicago Bears on Thursday evening in opposition to the Carolina Panthers, as Justin Fields continues to get well from the dislocated proper thumb he suffered in Week 6.
Fields, who returned to follow Friday, has remained restricted in on-field work this week and formally was listed as uncertain for the Week 10 sport at Soldier Field on Wednesday’s harm report.
“He’s not medically cleared to go right now,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus stated after follow Wednesday. “He’s getting better, though. His accuracy is improving. He’s throwing it better. He’s starting to do more and more and more. We’ll see where it goes.”
Eberflus stated Fields seemingly would have been on monitor to play this week if the Bears had a Sunday sport. But the fast turnaround to play Thursday shortened the window to decide.
“Short weeks are hard,” Eberflus stated.
Fields has been out since Oct. 15, when he dislocated his thumb within the third quarter of a 19-13 residence loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
Bagent changed him that afternoon and began the final three video games. He has performed properly in spurts and propelled the Bears to a 30-12 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in his first begin on Oct. 22.
But he additionally has turned the ball over eight occasions in 14 quarters, together with 4 giveaways in final week’s 24-17 street loss to the New Orleans Saints.
While initially unnerved by the turnover issues in that loss, Bagent discovered silver linings in how he carried out by way of the primary three quarters in opposition to the Saints, finishing 15 of 19 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns for a 123.9 passer score.
“When you throw three picks, you leave the field pretty disgusted with yourself,” Bagent stated. “But you then take a look at the movie and also you notice that, man, for 45 minutes, 48 minutes, I used to be taking part in fairly good. We had been working very properly.
“So just clean up those last 12 minutes and I think there’s a different outcome to the game and I’d probably feel a little different leaving the stadium.”
Bears quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko emphasised this week {that a} massive a part of Bagent’s developmental course of revolves round understanding how his strengths and weaknesses apply within the NFL. The 23-year-old rookie nonetheless is studying on the fly from his experiences.
“Obviously turnovers are the number one issue in football,” Janocko stated. “That’s the number one stat for winning and losing. That’s where we’ve got to clean things up but then also build on all the good stuff he’s been doing too.”
Janocko has been notably impressed with Bagent’s poise and accuracy and was thrilled with how he dealt with the noise and made the right safety calls and checks in New Orleans.
Bagent acknowledged he has regularly adjusted to elite competitors and gotten a greater really feel for the risk-reward calculus of sure conditions.
“Not only are you playing against physical specimens, but you’re also playing against dudes who don’t really make mistakes either,” he stated. “So you just have to be that much sharper and on top of what you’re trying to accomplish. You have to think smoother and faster than you ever have before.”
To that finish, Bagent has embraced his rising pains and the prospect to be taught by way of sport expertise, even with the turbulence and disappointments he has needed to endure over the previous month.
“Everything is going great, aside from obviously the ugly parts with turning the ball over,” Bagent stated. “You never want to do that. But as far as the growth is concerned, I feel like this opportunity has given me the chance to grow at an extremely rapid pace. I’ve been super grateful for that.”
Bagent will get not less than yet one more progress alternative Thursday. Eberflus stated he expects Fields to proceed ramping up with an eye fixed on returning for the Week 11 sport in opposition to the Lions on Nov. 19 in Detroit. The Bears may put Fields by way of a pregame exercise Thursday to push his restoration.
Eberflus stumbled a bit when requested a number of occasions for specifics on why the Bears medical workers has but to clear Fields.
“It’s really just the clearance is that he has to be cleared by the medical staff,” Eberflus stated. “And it’s actually about him feeling good about it and the medical workers saying he can go in there and performance. And he’s simply not there right now.
“It’s everything. It’s the grip strength, the accuracy, the ability to function as a quarterback. It’s just all right there. It’s getting closer.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com