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The jury is still out on Justin Fields, but the evidence is astoundingly confusing.For starters, a lot of it is circumstantial. The Chicago Bears' offensive line is a me s, the receivers aren't anything to write home about, and the play-calling is undergoing a shift. That shift seemed to move in the right direction Monday, when Fields helped to lead the Bears to a dominant 33-14 win during a rainy night in New England against the Patriots.The win came behind a shift in the offensive line, with Michael Schofield III bumping Patrick Lucas to center, taking Sam Mustipher out of the starting lineup.It was a nece sary change. Mustipher has been among the worst pa s blocking centers in the NFL this season. But it wasn't a particularly productive one. Fields faced pre sure from the Patriots pa s rush all night. But instead of taking sacks, he ran.Fields was 13 of 21 pa sing for 179 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. But he also carried the ball 14 times for 82 more yards and put a touchdown on the board. Most of that damage came in the first half, with the Bears turning to their running backs for most of the second half.MORE:To reiterate: The protection for Fields inside still was not good. But he made the most of it on plays like these:A little Justin Fields magic : on ESPN: Stream on NFL+ NFL (@NFL) Fields keeps making things happen : on ESPN: Stream on NFL+ NFL (@NFL) Six points for : on ESPN: Stream on NFL+ NFL (@NFL) But it wasn't all in the running game. There was also this outstanding check into a sidearm screen against a house blitz on a touchdown pa s to Khalil Herbert.25 yds to the house : on ESPN Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) Heading into this season, for the Bears offense. Part of that was letting Adedayo Odeleye Jersey Fields use his legs, but not forcing him to rely on them.Fields had the best pa ser rating in the NFL on bootlegs last year at 138.5, but he didn't qualify because he only ran 19 designed bootlegs under Matt Nagy last season. The Bears seem to be trying to remedy that now, mixing in designed runs with some bootlegs in this game in particular.Fields completed 10 of 12 attempts outside the tackle box Monday for 120 of his 179 yards, per Next Gen Stats. To compound upon that, he carried 12 times for 63 yards by design.Justin Fields earned a career-high 85 NGS pa sing score, completing 7 of 10 pa ses outside the tackle box for 120 yards.Fields on Designed Runs: Week 7 vs NE: 12 carries, 63 yards (+27 RYOE) First 18 Games: 38 carries, 83 yards (+1 RYOE) | Powered by Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) Now, that does throw up some red flags. That number means Fields was 3 of 9 pa sing from inside the tackle box, which is something the Bears should look out for. But once again, when the pocket is collapsing immediately upon the snap, it's hard to blame that entirely on Fields. He still took four sacks Monday.MORE:Fields' first half put him in company with another quarterback known for his ability to improvise.Justin Fields is 1 of 2 players in the last 30 seasons to have 100+ pa s yards, 1+ pa s TD, 70+ rush yards and 1+ Deion Jennings Jersey rush TD in an opening half.The other guy, Ru sell Wilson, has done it twice: in Week 15, 2012 and Week 5, 2014. NFL Research (@NFLResearch) For the Patriots, the Fields debacle is another example of them not being able to contain.Lamar Jackson torched the Patriots to the tune of 107 yards on 11 carries when the Ravens beat New England 37-26 in Week 3. Josh Allen was the Bills' leading rusher in both games against Buffalo last year for the Patriots, though his numbers weren't as gaudy. He had 64 yards the first time they played and 39 yards the second.Fields gave them similar problems. Despite the Patriots getting to him with consistency, they weren't able to bring him down or corral him. That led to his big night on Monday.MORE:This game should be a wakeup call for Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy. So many NFL coaches get locked into their scheme, they forget what makes their players good. Getsy went from Aaron Rodgers to Fields -- The goal can't be to make Fields into Rodgers.There are things Fields has to build on. He can be indecisive in the pocket, he still takes an above-average numbers of sacks, and he overthrew a few guys Monday. However, the infrastructure is there. Fields needs to be able to create.The other boon for the Bears offense was the running game, which can't be overlooked. Chicago ran for 243 yards Monday, its second-highest total of the season. The second half was an exhibition in bully ball, with the Bears simply running over the New England defense.The Bears were the beneficiary of a bad run defense Monday, and they capitalized. Next week they go up against the Cowboys, a defense that has similarly struggled against the run while dominating quarterbacks dropping back. The Bears might have the blueprint to beating them Sunday. But it will once against rest on Fields' legs and decision-making to do it. |
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发表于 2025-7-21 18:48:59