When the Chicago Bears drafted Justin Fields, one of the first things that fans noted as a huge difference from past quarterbacks is his arm strength. Sure, it is easier to complete deep balls in college, but Fields was an elite downfield thrower and his downfield touch was one of his biggest strengths coming in.
That is why many fans were so disappointed to see the Bears keep things so close to the line of scrimmage in his first career start. However, in career start number two, Fields let it rip and showed us exactly what his deep ball is all about.
Justin Fields was 4-6 for 151 yards throwing the ball 20 yards downfield or longer. Even more impressive is that the two incompletions went for drops.
That is impressive, but the comparison to past Bears’ quarterbacks will really put this into perspective. Mitch Trubisky was 6-33 last season throwing deep. He also had just 171 yards throwing deep. So, Fields needs two completions for 20 yards when throwing deep to tie Trubisky in his entire season compared to one game for Fields.
Nick Foles was 17-41 last season throwing deep, and Andy Dalton was 10-34. Keep in mind that Dalton also had yet to throw a deep pass with Chicago. These are some of the worst deep numbers in the NFL, but still, the contrast to Justin Fields is stunning.
The Bears were a team that did not have any semblance of a deep threat last season. Going from one of the worst in the NFL to Sunday in which we saw one of the better deep ball performances of the season is an insane contrast. It shows that the offense has been limited for years, and with someone who can take advantage to all levels of the field there is much more potential for big plays.
Look for Justin Fields to continue to take the lid off of defenses in way that past quarterbacks could not have dreamed of.