The Chicago Bears seemed destined to finish at the bottom of the NFL standings after Week 3. Heading into NFL games today, quarterback Justin Fields now has the league talking about him much differently.
Through his first three games in 2023, Fields was near the bottom of NFL QB rankings. Facing defenses like the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he and the Bears’ offense rarely sustained long drives let alone found the end zone.
- Justin Fields stats (Week 1-3): 67.7 QB rating, 57.9% completion rate, 5.98 yards per attempt, 13 sacks, 175.3 passing yards per game, 3-4 TD-INT
Related: 2024 NFL mock draft
Things have looked very differently in his two recent matchups. Thanks to his two-week stretch, Fields now leads the NFL in passing touchdown rate (7.2%) and is starting to play like a franchise-caliber quarterback.
- Justin Fields stats (Week 4-5): 131.3 QB rating, 67.2% completion rate, 9.64 yards per attempt, 7 sacks, 308.5 passing yards per game, 8-1 TD-INT
While the numbers are outstanding, statistics are the end result of what some evaluators around the league are seeing. As a member of NFL personnel told Adam Caplan of Pro Football Network, Fields just looks like a much better starting quarterback right now.
“You can see he’s way more comfortable and would plant his foot, and that ball was out. That’s what you want to see in a young quarterback. Execute the play like it’s designed. He has a lot of tools, and you saw last season when he was comfortable in what they were asking him to do that he could be effective.”
Anonymous NFL personnel on Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields
As the NFL evaluator went on to explain, Fields no longer appears to be nearly as gun-shy as before. The third-year quarterback has more confidence in the pocket, resulting in him taking more aggressive throws and executing within the structure of the offense.
Related: Week 6 NFL coverage map
While Chicago only has one win to show for it right now, the long-term benefits are evident. D.J. Moore has firmly established himself as the No. 1 receiver this Bears’ offense hasn’t had in years. Furthermore, the offseason trade with the Carolina Panthers has put Chicago in a great position to have the No. 1 overall pick.
Even if Fields takes a step back or the Bears land the top pick in 2024 and take Caleb Williams, Fields’ trade value will skyrocket. NFL teams were already interested before this recent surge and this recent stretch of play means Chicago can get even more if Fields is traded next offseason.