Anybody who has watched football long enough understood what was happening on Monday night in Pittsburgh. They were watching a young quarterback grow into a man. Justin Fields up until the second half had looked like what he was. A rookie. He had good and bad moments. Plenty of learning experiences. Then as the Chicago Bears entered the 3rd quarter, something happened. Almost like a switch was flipped.
Fields ended up throwing for 228 yards over the next 30 minutes of football, engineering two touchdown drives including a gigantic 75-yard march with under four minutes to play to grab the lead 27-26. Fields accounted for every single yard on that drive including the decisive 16-yard strike to Darnell Mooney. It was the moment the rest of the NFL sat up and took notice.
The 11th overall pick had just sent a message.
Sadly, it lost some of its impact when Pittsburgh managed to rally for a late field goal to steal the win. For Bears fans though? It didn’t matter. This was always about the long-term and that game provided further proof that the NFL isn’t too big for Fields. In fact, according to Ian Rapoport, the only people more excited about the rookie and his progression than fans are his own teammates. The presence the kid has is undeniable, and it’s starting to make guys believe.
According to those who are there every day, teammates fed off Fields’ confidence, both in the game and in practice. His confidence was infectious and that carried over into the next two weeks. Plus, they view his performance in crunch time as evidence the game is slowing down for him, allowing him to diagnose what the defense is doing and still play fast. No longer is it going 100 MPH for him.
That first manifested against the San Francisco 49ers the week prior when he made that incredible 22-yard scramble for a touchdown. To make such a huge play in a huge moment. It felt significant. Then the Steelers game followed that. Considering all that Fields had to endure from the nine-sack affair in Cleveland to the five turnovers in Tampa Bay? To see him improve this rapidly is beyond impressive.
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“When he’s in the game in that moment, guys just feel something good is about to happen,” one source said. “Then when he has those moments in back-to-back weeks, it’s like, ‘Holy (cow). This is awesome.’ And the whole team feels it, too.”
Justin Fields has a chance to make a statement
Eight games remain in the 2021 season. While the prospects of making the playoffs are remote, that won’t stop the rookie from continuing his mission to improve. The schedule may offer some opportunities with a number of menial defenses coming up including his next opponent, the Baltimore Ravens. Their pass defense is among the worst in the NFL. If he plays similar to how he did against Pittsburgh? It could be a big day for him.
Then again, he does face a significant challenge. Allen Robinson is doubtful to play due to a hamstring injury. Not having one of his most reliable targets won’t make life easier. Then again, Justin Fields isn’t one to make excuses. With or without guys, the standard doesn’t change. The Bears must work to win the football game. That is another big reason guys are buying into him more than ever.
There is no substitute for winning.
That level of expectations coming from the quarterback can’t be overstated. It never quite felt like Mitch Trubisky or Jay Cutler got that message across. Sure they wanted to win, but they rarely made it clear they were willing to sacrifice whatever it took to do so. Such is not the case with Fields. He’ll spend as many hours a day as necessary to make the Bears successful. That is the sort of guy you want to play with.
