Chicago Bears: 3 Losers from Week 4 vs. Detroit Lions

Week 4 Loser No. 2: Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton has not played in two and a half weeks, but he is still a loser for Week 4 because it is clear Justin Fields has to be the starter going forward. Although it was against a poor defense, we were still able to see what Fields brings to the table and how having him under center opens up the play-book so much more for whoever is calling plays.

Andy Dalton looked solid in his short time as the starter. He was hitting the throws he needed to make and was a game managing quarterback. We still saw how the offense was stagnant and was solely running on short passes and the running game. No offense is going to be able to compete through an entire season by checking down and not stretching the field. As much as we wanted to blame Matt Nagy for the early offensive struggles, with Andy Dalton as a starter there is a handcuff on what plays can be called.

Dalton did not do anything to be on this list other than the fact that he happens to be on a team with Justin Fields. While Fields has not looked great even in today’s win, he has made huge plays on countless drives and demonstrates the raw ability of throwing the ball and being a dynamic playmaker. The truth of the matter is that Dalton cannot do that for this Bears team and he is not good enough to warrant benching Fields.

[Editor’s Note: Can you believe Matt Nagy is still on the Andy Dalton train?]

It might not always look pretty with the rookie at the helm, and there are many mistakes that Fields needs to work on, but he is the future of the Bears and has shown that he has the talent to win and put the team on his back when he has to.

Complementary football is going to go a long way for this team’s offensive success, as we saw today. With Justin Fields throwing the ball, the opposing defense has to honor both the pass and the run and cannot just sit on anything more than ten yards. Andy Dalton is a loser yet again not because he played badly but because Justin Fields is looking better and better.