Justin Fields introduced himself to the wider NFL in a Chicago Bears uniform for the first time last Saturday. He didn’t disappoint. After a somewhat uneven start, he finished with a flourish, going 12-of-14 for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also added 33 yards and a TD on the ground. The Bears scored 17 of their 20 points in the game with him on the field. Needless to say, fans left the game happy.
Among the things that stood out most was Fields’ ball placement on his passes. It is one of the most underrated qualities good quarterbacks must have. An ability to put the ball where the receiver has the best chance to get it and the defender can’t. He showed it a number of times in the game. It made it easier to understand what the Bears defense was dealing with every day in practice. Sure enough, two days later a highlight surfaced of Fields doing it again.
Coupled with a priceless reaction from Artie Burns.
That said it all, didn’t it? Burns was so sure he had the pass deflection. Then when he turned around and saw Riley Ridley running away with the ball, he couldn’t believe it. That speaks to how perfectly Justin Fields’ placed the ball. If it has been mere centimeters more inside, Burns likely would’ve knocked it down. He put only where Ridley could get it. When they say it’s a game of inches, they aren’t lying.
These were the types of throws that Mitch Trubisky just couldn’t make. Too often they’d be too far outside or too far inside. Either the receiver had no shot at it or the defensive back had a chance to pick it off. It isn’t going to be that way with Fields. More often than not, he’s going to do everything he can to help his guys have a chance to make a big play.
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