It was another disappointing and historically bad Sunday for the Chicago Bears as they blew a 21-point lead at home to lose to the Denver Broncos by a final score of 31-28. Despite leading the Broncos 28-7 late in the third quarter, the Bears found a way to lose their 14th consecutive game and recorded the largest blown lead in franchise history. The embarrasing loss overshadowed the career day by quarterback Justin Fields, who set a franchise record in consecutive completions but was unable to lead the team to victory late, something he still has yet to accomplish in his young career.
Fields Has Yet To Lead The Bears On A Game-Winning Drive On The Offense’s Final Possession
Despite the loss not being fully Fields’ fault, he did contribute to the final result, as his lack of protection led to two turnovers on offense, one that was returned for a game-tying touchdown. Before the turnovers, Chicago’s embattled quarterback was having the best game of his career as he completed 16 consecutive passes in the first half, threw four touchdowns, and recorded his first 300-yard passing day. Although Fields led the Bears to the 21-point lead, he couldn’t lead the offense on either a game-tying or game-winning score during the team’s final possession.
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Fields has never led Chicago’s offense to a game-tying or game-winning score on the team’s final possession despite having multiple opportunities to get it done. Already in Chicago’s four games this season, the Bears’ third-year quarterback has had two games in which he had a chance to lead the offense on a game-winning drive on their final possession, and on both occasions, they ended with interceptions.
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Last season, Fields and the Bears’ offense had five games in which they had a chance to tie or win the game on the team’s final possession, and each time they failed to score. Against the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, Miami Dolphins, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons, the Bears’ offense had a chance to win the game on the final possession but either turned the ball over or lost it on downs.
In the five opportunities Chicago’s offense had last season, there was only one instance where they reached the red zone of their opponent, which was against the Commanders, where the Bears’ offense lost possession on downs despite being in a goal-line situation. The other final do-or-die drive situations were unsuccessful because of a Fields’ interception or the offense’s inability to move the ball past the 50 yard-line. The only time Chicago’s quarterback did not play a role in the failed game-winning drive was against Minnesota, where wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette was stripped of the football after choosing to stay inbounds after a 15-yard reception.
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During Fields’ rookie season of 2021, the Bears only had one game in which their rookie quarterback had a chance to lead a game-tying or game-winning drive on their final offensive possession. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Fields led the Bears’ on a scoring drive to take the lead with less than two minutes to go and connected on a 16-yard touchdown pass to Darnell Mooney to make the score 27-26. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh’s offense rallied for a game-winning field goal, and although the Bears’ quarterback put the team in a position for a game-winning field goal, kicker Cairo Santos missed the kick.
The Failure To Lead Chicago On Game-Winning Drives Is A Crucial Weakness
Fields’ inability to lead Chicago’s offense on a game-winning drive is deeply troubling, given his talent capabilities. Most of the failed drives have come in games where the Bears’ quarterback has led the offense to three touchdowns or more in those contests. Fields has a troubling inability to lead scoring drives when it matters the most for the team, despite scoring through most of the game up to that moment.
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It appears to be a fatal flaw in Fields’ capabilities on multiple fronts as he can’t dissect what opposing defenses are doing to Chicago’s offense at the end of the game, and it also leads to questions about his mental makeup when in high-pressure situations. In games against the Buccaneers, Falcons, and Broncos, each of the Bears’ final possessions ended with interceptions thrown by their young quarterback. Additionally, each Fields’ interception came on drives in which Chicago’s offense never ran a play in their opponent’s territory.
Opposing defenses continue to execute the same defensive scheme that Fields can’t move the ball against, as he has had significant issues passing against zone defenses. In the games against Miami and Detroit last season, both opponents ran zone coverages against Chicago’s quarterback after being unable to stop their offense for most of the game to that point. Fields had the same issue against Tampa Bay in Week 2 as the opposing defense dropped seven defenders into coverage for most of the game and was unable to execute a scoring drive on the last drive of the game.
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Chicago is in a predicament as they must know if Fields is the elite quarterback they thought he was when they drafted him 11th overall in 2021. An elite quarterback is defined by his ability to lead his team to victory when the game is on the line at the end, yet the Bears’ young quarterback hasn’t accomplished that feat. Fields has already had multiple opportunities during Chicago’s 14-game losing streak but hasn’t, which is one of the leading causes for the prolonged and soon-to-be history streak.
Freddy.. the Ohio State QB the Bears passed on this year looks pretty good… Also, I believe Fields completed the first 15 passes and tied the record, not surpassed it. Almost positive pass 16 was the missed hail Mary before halftime.
Never draft a quarterback from Ohio State.