The Chicago Bears revealed their final injury report on Friday before their trip to New York against the Jets. Everybody waited to see what the status would be for Justin Fields. He suffered a nasty-looking shoulder injury in Atlanta, later revealed to be an AC joint sprain with some torn ligaments. The quarterback admitted it was painful and wasn’t sure he could play through it. Thus he was declared questionable for the game, leaving his status 50/50. Head coach Matt Eberflus remained noncommittal. While he said Fields had shown improvement during the week, he isn’t sure if it’s enough to clear him for action.
This is likely a decision that could go right up to game time. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune believes there is a strong probability the decision is already made. Eberflus is merely keeping the Jets in the dark about it. Head coach Robert Saleh admitted his team is preparing to face Fields. So it might be a slight surprise if they get Trevor Siemian instead. Biggs has it on solid authority that this will end up being the case. The organization wants to win but doesn’t want to jeopardize Fields’ obviously bright future.
“The Bears will hold a walk-through Saturday morning before traveling to New Jersey, so it’s possible they could evaluate Fields and see how he is doing Sunday morning. Two sources said they believe there is a high likelihood Siemian will start as the Bears (3-8) try to avoid a five-game losing streak for the third consecutive season. The scenario of Siemian starting would not come as a surprise given the organization doesn’t want to see Fields suffer further injury during a season in which he has shown promise.”
Sitting Justin Fields is logical.
Circumstances matter here. If the Bears were in the thick of a playoff race, then playing him makes more sense. He’s their best offensive weapon and the only reason they’ve been competitive for most of this year. However, Chicago is 3-8. They’re all but out of the playoff race. It will be on the road in a hostile environment against one of the best pass rushes in the league. The Bears’ offensive line has already shown they aren’t up to the task of consistently protecting their quarterback. Risking further injury to chase a meaningless win is bad football.
Then again, Justin Fields doesn’t care about any of that. He’s stated time and time again that winning is the only thing that matters to him. If he feels good enough to play, he will play. He wants to be there for his teammates and ensure the standard is always known. Win at all costs. That is why he played a national championship with cracked ribs and a torn hip muscle. The truth is nobody will judge him if he doesn’t play. They’d much rather have him healthy for the stretch drive and going into 2023, when the team can seriously start upgrading the roster around him.
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