It was a frustrating opener against Kansas City for Justin Fields and the first-team Chicago Bears offense. They moved the ball fairly well in the first quarter but failed to generate any points despite entering Chiefs territory twice. No doubt head coach Matt Eberflus and his staff were hoping for better results on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks. The starters would only get 6-10 plays, so they had to make them count.
That is what happened. It wasn’t the prettiest drive in the world, but the Bears moved the ball methodically 52 yards on ten plays to get their first points of the preseason on a Cairo Santos field goal. The most encouraging part of the sequence was the connection between Fields and tight end Cole Kmet. They hooked up twice for 31 yards. Fields also demonstrated some savvy by getting the Seahawks defense to jump offsides on 4th and 2. It was an encouraging sign of progress.
Justin Fields still has some habits to break.
He has that habit of sometimes abandoning the pocket to run too soon. It is hard to blame him, considering how shaky his protection continues to be. He also didn’t recognize an incoming blitz towards the end of the drive. These are all things a young QB can only learn from experience. There are also signs of maturation. He’s improving at taking what the defense gives him and learning how to manipulate coverages.
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has a clear idea of his strengths and weaknesses. The drive he called leaned into what Justin Fields does best. The big X-factor is the protection. Chicago was already thin on the offensive line when training camp started. Now injuries continue to mount. Fields will never take a step forward if he’s always running for his life. This is a problem GM Ryan Poles must try to figure out. Getting Lucas Patrick healthy would be a start. Maybe there is another move coming when final cuts begin.
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Fields was running for his life way too much. Jenkins got some work in but has a ways to go. The middle of the line needs to get tougher.
There was progress shown for sure. The first drive was decent untill that last toss to rb for a loss.