Justin Fields is having a less-than-ideal start to his second season with the Chicago Bears. In fairness, most of the 2021 quarterback class has underwhelmed. So it’s not just him, which is something at least. Still, that doesn’t absolve him from blame. Fields is the quarterback and holds responsibility for offensive success. The question is how much of these issues that plague the Bears fall on him and how much is the situation around him?
Chicago has a top five running game this year. One would think that should make life easier for the quarterback. It hasn’t. He’s barely completing half of his passes and has more interceptions (5) than touchdowns (4). So naturally, the blame game has started. Some people point the finger at Fields, and others at his supporting cast. Adam Jahns of The Athletic was curious about this, so he polled a few experts around the league that have studied the team.
The majority of them came away with the same answer.
“Lee: It has to be the offensive line, because that’s an expensive issue to fix for Chicago. Even in the event that the Bears found a franchise tackle, that does nothing to address other holes on the interior or the opposite bookend. Fixing the trenches takes a wholesale approach, and it’s rare that young offensive linemen are hits right out of the gate, so attacking that position in the draft isn’t necessarily a more sound approach than trying to acquire solid veterans through free agency or trades.
Tice: This is like picking between which terrible horror movie sequel to watch, but I’ll go with “Scream 3,” aka the offensive line. While the receiving options aren’t great, I do think passable pass catchers are far easier to come by than startable offensive linemen. And the Bears need a big ol’ pile of both. They can’t go through another season with Sam Mustipher at center, and that’s just the start of it. They not only need an injection of top-end talent but depth.”
Justin Fields is good when he’s protected.
That is the frustrating part of all this. He has an 87.6 passer rating when kept clean. The problem is that this has happened on only 49% of his dropbacks this year. That rating drops to 43.8 when under pressure. So not only is he facing too much pressure, but he’s also not handling it well when it comes. That is how you get the worst passing attack in the NFL. Yes, the Bears need better weapons, but it starts up front.
Watch the best quarterbacks in the league, and there is a strong likelihood most of them enjoy above-average pass protection. Tom Brady is off to one of the worst starts of his career in Tampa Bay because his line can’t protect him. The same goes for Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles. Justin Fields is no different. If and when Chicago can fortify his blocking, there is a reasonable chance to think he will play much better.
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