Observation No. 1 of Chicago Bears QB, Justin Fields: Rookie Jitters?
We watched Justin Fields in continuous action for the first time this regular season. When it comes to big moments, it never seems like there are any too big for the rookie. His poise and calmness just exude from the television (or stadium if you are at the game live). He never seems to panic.
That said, is it possible he had a few rookie jitters today? On one drive specifically, after the Eddie Jackson strip fumble in Bengals territory, Justin Fields may have cost the Chicago Bears four points. Rather than coming away with a touchdown, the team had to settle for a field goal. Part of the problem was penalties. Two false starts took place on the drive, setting the Bears back a total of 15 yards.
Penalties are never good, but they can be absolute drive killers. Both of those false starts came from Justin Fields himself — yep, from the quarterback. One was on a third-and-seven in Bengals territory, but an Allen Robinson move on the sideline led to some yards after the catch and a first down. After the second false start, you can see just how irritated Fields gets by the call.
Fields goes and talks with the referee to try and understand what he is doing wrong. The second false start was in the red zone from the Bengals’ six yard-line. This should have been a touchdown drive, but these two mistakes turned it into only a field goal.
Honestly, I don’t think he had rookie jitters. I think he was just too excited and anxious. You see him clapping to try and get Sam Mustipher to hike the ball early. The key here is that after finding out what he was doing wrong from the referees, it never happened again. Fields is not going to be perfect, but the “arrow is pointing up with him” (pick up on that joke?).