LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The minute Justin Fields announced on Sunday that he twisted his hip in a 41-10 loss to the Detroit Lions, an easy escape hatch was opened for the Bear.
With important NFL draft position In play Sunday in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings, Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus chose to prioritize the future of their rebuilding over a final meaningless “experience” game for their quarterback.
After beginning to revisit Fields’ availability for the season finale on Monday, Eberflus announced on Wednesday that the Bears ruled out Fields due to a strained hip, ending the quarterback’s second season. Nathan Peterman will start in his place.
Am I to doubt that Fields is stoned? Absolutely not. He’s taken a beating this season behind a poor offensive line. But the hip strain also gave the Bears an avenue to make the right call for a franchise still on the ground floor (basement?) of a rebuild.
A victory on Sunday, something only Fields’ magic could deliver, could knock the Bears from the No. 1. 2 (or No. 1) pick in the draft all the way to the No. 1. 4 if the Cardinals of the Arizona and the Denver Broncos both lose on Sunday.
It could be the difference between signing generational talent in Jalen Carter or Will Anderson and signing a player outside of the elite echelon of the selection committee. A chance victory could also cost them the chance to acquire a high-value draft asset that they auction off to a desperate quarterback team looking to move up and draft Bryce Young or CJ Stroud.
The Bears enter Sunday’s season finale against the Vikings, having lost nine straight games. The Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets and Lions all nicked the Bears’ struggling defense.
Fields had no chance of winning Sunday against the Vikings 12-4. Distant but existing.
The Bears couldn’t afford to take the risk.
The Vikings have little to play for Sunday and will only play their starters sparingly. That means Fields would spend most of Sunday battling backups for one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.
Playing Fields on Sunday would have been the equivalent of throwing a buddy into the ocean, diving in and hoping a shark wouldn’t interrupt your swim.
There’s also Fields’ health and upcoming work in the offseason to consider.
In 15 games this season, Fields has been sacked 55 times and has been pressured 45.7% of his losses, according to Pro Football Focus. Fields was sacked seven times and hit nine times in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Lions.
The Bears offensive line has been leaky all season. Right guard Teven Jenkins dropped the Lions with a neck injury. His replacement Michael Schofield suffered a knee injury a quarter later.
With protection issues, a nagging left shoulder separation and that hip strain, the Bears protect Fields from himself and the operation they put around him by sitting him out for the final of the season. This ensures the 23-year-old quarterback will have quite the offseason to recover and get to work making the necessary improvements before the third year.
The Bears needed to win between four and six games this season. Poles spent his first year on the job tearing down the roster and preparing for the upcoming rebuild.
Eberflus and Fields understand what they have built this season and the essential ingredients moving forward.
“Justin and I had the conversation yesterday about the leadership we’ve had from players and coaches to be able to set the vision and direction for how we run our business and work on our habits every day,” Eberflus said on Wednesday. . . . That’s what resonated with him and that’s what resonated with me.
“When you do that over time, and you have additional draft picks and all that other stuff and you work towards that and everything that gets better, it’s going to be good. It’s going to be really good. But you can’t have that without the fundamental floor of habits it takes to create the winning environment it takes to get there.
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Fields made critical progress in the 2022 season. He became one of the NFL’s most electric point guards in the running game and made positive progress as a passer. There’s still plenty of work for Fields to do as a pocket passer.
The Poles said so in an interview with Jeff Joniak.
“He showed his ability to make a ton of plays with his legs,” Poles said of Fields. “Nobody questions his ability to play, but really growing as a passer will be the next step.”
Putting a confident offensive line around Fields should help the young quarterback make meaningful progress in 2023.
There is no doubt that Fields is down. He’s been the bulk of the season. But he also played every snap of the loss to the Lions despite a hip strain in the first half.
The Bears have their whole future ahead of them. Fields is a big part of it. The same goes for the draft position they hope to achieve on Sunday.
Fields had nothing more to gain by playing Sunday vs. the Vikings. The Bears had everything to lose.
By eliminating Fields, Polonais and Eberflus show that they can see the bigger picture and I don’t want to cloud that vision.
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