People were ready to give up on Justin Fields a few weeks ago. Nothing had changed from last year. His struggles in the passing game were still there. He didn’t process quickly enough, failed to identify open receivers, and too often threw the ball with insufficient accuracy or ball placement. That is what made his outburst against Denver and Washington last week so jarring. It seemed like all the problems that haunted him for months had vanished. It wasn’t always perfect, but bad QBs don’t throw eight touchdown passes in two games.
Some wonder if he took advantage of a weak schedule. Both opponents have two of the worst defenses in the league. That might be part of it, but Fields deserves credit. He wasn’t throwing to wide open receivers all day. He had to make several tight window passes. Derek Klassen is a respected tape analyst for The 33rd Team. Quarterbacks are his specialty. A few weeks ago, he admitted it looked like Fields might be a lost cause. Now he’s seeing a totally different quarterback, and one throw proves the guy may have seen the switch flip.
“Fields rode the confidence high and started playing like a different quarterback than we’d ever seen from him. He was playing faster and more decisively. Suddenly, timing routes in the short area didn’t look laborious.
Fields started trusting Moore come hell or high water, which is exactly why the Bears brought in a receiver of his caliber.
Fields even added a little touch to his game that we rarely see. The end zone throw to Moore on a double move looked like it was dropped ever so softly into the perfect spot by an angel.”
Justin Fields still has to prove it against a good team.
That is the primary stepping stone to getting some respect. Beating up on Denver and Washington was fun and a great way to build confidence. If he wants to prove to the national media and his own team that he is franchise quarterback material, he has to show up against good opponents. Green Bay and Kansas City both had no issues bottling him up. His next true test will come November 5th when the Bears travel to New Orleans. The Saints boast the #4 defense in the NFL. They’ve held four of their five opponents under 20 points to start this season.
Until then, there is no reason for Justin Fields not to continue being productive. Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles all have questionable pass defenses. If the offensive line continues to protect him, Fields can keep stacking those big numbers. It’s nice to hear validation from people who study the position that fan’s eyes aren’t deceiving them. Fields is making high-level NFL throws. It’s a matter of ensuring that it continues on a consistent basis. These next five games will be telling.
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