While the Chicago Bears likely weren’t watching with much anticipation, the NFL Honors came and went once again. And to a lot of NFL fans’ surprise, Justin Fields was a trending topic once the award show came to a conclusion. This year’s MVP, Patrick Mahomes, won by a rather convincing landslide, however, there was a player in the voting ballots who caught many by surprise.
Chicago Bears: Justin Fields receives first MVP vote in only his second season
Now, is getting one, single fifth-place MVP vote worth all that much? Not really, but there’s something in that to think about.
AP NFL MVP voting breakdown:
— Rob Maaddi (@RobMaaddi) February 10, 2023
10 points for 1; 5 points for 2; 3 for 3; 2 for 4; 1 for 5.
First-place votes:
1. Patrick Mahomes - 48
2. Jalen Hurts - 1
3. Josh Allen - 1 pic.twitter.com/agBtDW2XGr
Not only was Justin Fields tied in QB votes with Justin Herbert, but he beat out a few quarterbacks that will likely, one day, be getting their gold jackets once their career is over.
In fact, Justin Fields beat out, technically, 55 starting quarterbacks— quarterbacks who started at least once— in MVP votes.
When looking at how many quarterbacks he beat among the “32” starting QBs— as in a team having one main starting QB — he beat out 18 of those.
The most notable of those QBs:
- Aaron Rodgers (the most heart-warming of them all)
- Tom Brady (the alleged GOAT)
- Kirk Cousins
- Jared Goff
- Russell Wilson
- Dak Prescott
- Lamar Jackson
- Kyler Murray
- Derek Carr
- Daniel Jones
- Ryan Tannehill
And the list goes on for a handful more.
When looking into this even further, Justin Fields — after receiving just one fifth-place MVP vote in two years, has more overall MVP votes than Russell “Dangerwich” Wilson
In Justin Fields‘ 2022 campaign, there was a lot of good. Some of it, not so much, but most of it was deserving of the praise he’s received. In all honesty, he could’ve received more, and it would’ve been granted.
In 15 games, Fields was 192/318 (60.4% completion), threw for 2,242 yards, 17 TDs, and 11 INTs. On top of his passing stats, Fields rushed the ball 160 times for 1,143 yards and an additional eight TDs.
His rushing stats were clearly better than passing, as he passed Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record for a QB. That placed him in second-place, just short of Lamar Jackson.
Not only was Fields’ season a step in the right direction among the league as a whole, but the Chicago Bears’ record book is starting to look like a Justin Fields spelling contest.
His name is in the Bears’ record book 12 times.
- Fewest completions through two weeks
- 15 completions on 28 passing attempts
- Single-game quarterback rushing record
- 178 rushing yards
- First QB to throw 3+ TDs and rush over 140 yards
- First NFL QB with 100+ rushing yards and 2 rushing/passing TDs
- Longest Bears quarterback run and touchdown run
- 67 yards
- Only QB in the Super Bowl era with multiple 60+ yard touchdowns
- 61-yard TD vs Dolphins; 67-yard TD vs Lions
- Only QB since 1925 to score three rushing TDs over 50 yards
- 61-yard TD vs Dolphins; 67-yard TD vs Lions; 55-yard TD vs Packers
- First Bears player to rush consecutive 147-yard games since Walter Payton
- Most rushing yards over a five-game span
- 568 rushing yards
- Most consecutive games with a rushing TD
- six straight games
- Tied for most consecutive games with 1 rushing/passing TD
- five consecutive games
- Most 20+ mph carries in one season since 2018
- eight total
For a guy that the Chicago Bears front office seems to want nothing to do with, he hasn’t been too shabby.
Next goal: Maybe winning an MVP or a Super Bowl? How does that sound?