Matt Eberflus made a misstep for the Chicago Bears
After the loss to the Lions, Matt Eberflus was asked about the plans for playing Justin Fields in the finale vs the Vikings. He had this to say:
Matt Eberflus doubled down on the importance of live football game reps as the reason the Bears kept Justin Fields in the game down 4 TDs late. Eberflus said if Fields is healthy, he’ll play vs. Minnesota in the season finale.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) January 1, 2023
It was already a mistake to leave Justin Fields in the game at that point. He wasn’t going to learn anything behind a battered, struggling offensive line. He clearly took too many hits that day to the point he was not trusting his offense to perform. Keeping him in could also create bad habits. It could mess with his internal clock and cause him to run sooner than he should. It also led to him holding onto the ball too long and taking unnecessary sacks/hits. Does this team not fully trust that Justin Fields is “the guy” for this team going forward? Hard to believe that.
Which Chicago Bears were duds vs the Lions in Week 17?
The Chicago Bears entire team laid a dud against the Detroit Lions in Week 17. It was one of those losses that took all the energy out of the team.
On Monday, Matt Eberflus doubled down by saying that if healthy, Justin Fields will start to finish out the season vs the Vikings. Again, this would be another meaningless game. A game fans want the team to lose anyway for 2023 Draft seeding. Eberflus did mention that he would have internal conversations with Ryan Poles about the situation — giving himself and the team a bit of an out.
With the way this team is currently constructed due to injuries, it’s time to protect Justin Fields from himself and sit him for this game. Play some of your younger guys who you want to see more game film on — Alex Leatherwood at guard for example. Take the loss and hope the Texans beat the Colts. This is how you handle the final week of the Chicago Bears 2022 season. Well, thank goodness the team dodged a huge mistake regarding Justin Fields.