Andy Dalton goes down with an injury and Justin Fields is thrown to the wolves
The last time Andy Dalton played a full season was in 2017. Casually, the thought process was that Andy Dalton was going to tear into his former team. He started off playing nice and went down with an injury before the second half.
Putting off playing Justin Fields showed how it can prove to be a waste of time to leave him not prepared for unprecedented situations such as what happened in Week 2. He pulled the win off, but his unprepared hand was forced to get the victory. This team needs him sooner than later, and it shows heading into Week 3.
This Bears roster has a healthy mix of youth and speed despite its overall age. Youth should remain the focal point of the trajectory of this team. Now that Justin Fields is involved, it should come back around in focus. In this current period, a playbook swing towards Justin Fields would go a long way.
A few scenarios come into play when bringing an inexperienced quarterback under center. Granted that Justin Fields is a decorated athlete with franchise potential, limitations create a lack of preparation. First-team reps, offensive game plans, and chemistry are all vital. Fields came in and held off the late surge from the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. He appeared after Dalton went down with a bone bruise in his knee. However, we cannot discount that it wasn’t pretty.