Grading Justin Fields, Matt Eberflus for 2023 season

Schrock’s Bears Report Card: Grading Justin Fields, Matt Eberflus for 2023 season originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

GREEN BAY Wis. — The 2023 season came to an end for the Bears on Sunday much in the same way it began. Same opponent, same helpless feeling. Only the location was different.

Final score: Packers 17, Bears 9

The Bears opened their 2023 campaign four months ago with a 38-20 faceplant against their rivals at Soldier Field.

What followed was an 18-week soul-searching mission that saw the Bears claw their way out of an 0-4 hole, develop a semi-elite defense, and finish the season with the same questions they needed to answer when the journey started.

Is Justin Fields a franchise quarterback? Does Matt Eberflus have what it takes to be a winning head coach? Can Luke Getsy develop as a play-caller and game-planner? Will Ryan Poles’ roster-building strategy lead to long-term success?

The answer to that final one is at least trending toward yes. The others? The jury is out, but we’ll find out quickly what Poles thinks about Eberflus and Getsy as the Bears enter a critical offseason for their rebuild.

As for Fields, the third-year quarterback said goodbye to the Bears and their fans after Sunday’s loss to the Packers just in case it was his final ride with the organization.

With the Bears’ 7-10 2023 campaign in the books, it’s time to hand out season grades for Fields, Eberflus, Getsy, and the rest of the team:

Fields got off to a horrendous start to the 2023 season.

Through three games, Fields had thrown for just 526 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. That included a 99-yard outing against the Kansas City Chiefs in a game in which the Bears trailed by three scores throughout.

Fields and the passing game got right in Week 4 as the quarterback threw for 335 yards and four touchdowns against the Denver Broncos. He followed that up with a 282-yard, four-touchdown game against the Commanders.

A dislocated right thumb injury suffered in Week 6 cost him…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/schrocks-bears-report-card-grading-130000554.html

Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2024-01-08 13:00:00

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