Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields saw his first extensive NFL regular-season action against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
After a strong start to the game, starting quarterback Andy Dalton had to exit with a knee injury. Once up 20-3 against Cincinnati, the Bears had to hold on for a 20-17 victory despite their defense picking off Joe Burrow on three consecutive pass attempts.
Following the game, Justin Fields had a pretty realistic opinion of his own performance in the Bears’ first win of the season.
“I don’t think I’m pleased with how I played at all. I think there’s a lot more in me that I have to show. That’s going to come with time. I know it’s not going to happen overnight, so I’m just going to keep grinding, and no matter what happens, I know I’m meant for this. I’m meant to be here,” Fields said, via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN. “My path here has been crazy. When I was younger, I never thought I would be here in this position. I’m here for a reason. And I definitely think I can play better. I just think that this is the beginning. I’m definitely excited for the future and excited to get back to practice on Monday, Tuesday.”
The first-round pick from Ohio State completed a mere 6-of-13 passes for 60 yards with an interception. Fields added another 31 yards on 10 rush attempts. It wasn’t the best performance from the young signal caller.
Chicago Bears confident in Justin Fields moving forward
If Fields is forced to start moving forward, Chicago’s brass seems to be perfectly fine with throwing him into the fire.
“He’s (Justin Fields) farther along than we thought he’d be at this point. We feel good with him,” head coach Matt Nagy told reporters after the game.
It’s not yet known whether Fields will have to be under center when Chicago takes on the Cleveland Browns next Sunday.
Nagy noted that he doesn’t believe Dalton suffered a torn ACL during Sunday’s game. However, the veteran will undergo an MRI on Monday.
All of this comes on the heels of reports suggesting that Chicago wanted to see more of Justin Fields on the field as the season progresses. Whether it’s out of necessity or something else, that might happen sooner rather than later.