Justin Fields dazzled everybody last Sunday with his breakout game against the Miami Dolphins. He set an NFL regular season record with 178 rushing yards, threw three touchdowns, and ran for another. He was the best player on the field for the Chicago Bears. It’s hard to remember the last time anybody could say that about this team’s quarterback. Yet as is often the case, others are insisting that Fields is nothing more than a gimmick.
Most of his success comes when he scrambles. He’s not really beating teams with his arm or his mind. It is a low-hanging fruit since his passing yardage is below average for quarterbacks. Yet, in reality, Fields has improved far more than people realize. One stat proves this. Last season, he had a 78.9 passer rating with one touchdown and two interceptions against the blitz. It was his Achilles heel, and opponents knew it.
That is no longer the case. So far in 2022, Fields has a 100.1 passer rating with six touchdowns and two interceptions against the blitz. That includes all three of his TD throws on Sunday against Miami.
Justin Fields is outperforming superstars on this front.
Aaron Rodgers has an 86.7 rating against the blitz this year. Russell Wilson has a 65.4. Even the mighty Josh Allen has a modest 88.3. That should help illustrate how good the Bears quarterback has been. Beating the blitz isn’t just about him being a great athlete with a strong arm. Anybody that watches the tape will see him making the correct diagnosis of what is coming before the snap. He is rarely caught off guard like he was last season.
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That is the most exciting development in all of this. The best quarterbacks in the NFL win with their minds, not their arms. If defenses can’t fool Justin Fields anymore, they’re in big trouble. He took a 58 passer rating in September and raised it to 85 following last Sunday. That might be one of the single-biggest in-season turnarounds for a quarterback in modern Bears history. The scariest part is his best may still be to come with the hapless Detroit Lions on deck this week.
Amazing that no one from the Roast Tomastork Crowd had anything to say about this one! So awesome to hear guys (both the article and the comments) breaking down what our totally dazzled eyes are seeing. We have got our guy! Jf even makes loosing fun though let’s get W’s the rest of the way!!! Go Bears!!!
He was the best player on the field out of Both Teams*
JF1’s growth is obvious! I can’t imagine where he would be in terms of development if Nagy/Pace didn’t pussyfoot around and would have just made him the starter early last season. Imagine what his stat line would be without all the egregious drops this season?
Fields job is not to pile up gaudy passing stats, or gaudy running stats. His job is to put points on the board. He’s done that really well in the last four games, whether by passing or running, it doesn’t matter. And as Dean pointed out, both his running and his passing are vastly improved. Just look to the vast reduction in INTs over the last 4 games. His 4th down pass to EQ was a great example of that, he put the ball where only EQ could get it, out of reach of the defender, and long enough for… Read more »
Thank you Lambs. I’ve been saying this since JF1 began his ascent. It’s his passing game that has improved tremendously over the season. Everyone has been dazzled by his run game. And deservedly so. But it has overshadowed his pass game. His pocket presence alone looks so much more confident. If you have the tapes, compare his first game this season against his last. Don’t watch the games in between. Just jump from game 1 to game 9. The difference stark. He doesn’t look like he’s ‘thinking anymore. It’s becoming a part of him now. Everything he does is quicker.… Read more »
As much as love the bears. We need them to lose every game from here on out. higher pick and 130 million in cap space. for once let’s play the long game build it right.