Justin Fields, Matt Eberflus headline Bears questions to answer in final seven games originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Eleven weeks ago, the Bears entered the season with big expectations. After an offseason of moves to help quarterback Justin Fields take the Year 3 leap.
The overhype cup runneth over.
Almost three months later, the Bears enter Week 11 at 3-7, with plenty of questions to answer about the state and direction of their rebuild in the final seven games of the season.
Those questions start with Fields, who has missed the last four games with a dislocated right thumb but is set to return Sunday against the Lions in Detroit.
Can Justin Fields prove he’s the guy?
The Bears’ primary goal for the 2023 season was to get a complete evaluation of Fields. With the quarterback’s fifth-year option needing to be picked up this offseason and the Bears likely to finish the season with two high draft picks, having a concrete idea of what Fields can be in the NFL was a must entering the season.
Fields got off to a horrific start before stringing together back-to-back starts against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders in Weeks 4 and 5. He entered Week 6 among the league leaders in passing touchdowns, but he threw for just 58 yards while compiling a passer rating of 36.7 in almost three quarters against the Minnesota Vikings before exiting with a thumb injury.
After missing four games, Fields returns needing to string together the best seven-game stretch of his career to show the Bears they should still place their faith in him.
Even if he rips off seven straight high-level performances as a passer to close the season, the die might already be cast as far as Fields and the Bears are concerned.
The 24-year-old entered the worst situation imaginable and has been unable to escape the organizational dysfunction that has consumed countless quarterbacks before him.
He has struggled with accuracy, pocket presence, and dissecting zone coverage. He hasn’t been able to…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/justin-fields-matt-eberflus-headline-130000830.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2023-11-17 13:00:00
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