The Chicago Bears fanbase was seemingly very divided when they moved on from talented young quarterback Justin Fields in favor of No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, though both the Pittsburgh Steelers and 0-5 New York Jets have found themselves in the same unsatisfying middle ground.
In four starts with the Jets, Fields has a passer rating over 100.1, has not thrown an interception, and cut his sack rate down while scoring seven touchdowns. Many of the Fields supporters, as vocal as they are, are quick to deem him as "not the problem" once again with his new year.
Two stats completely invalidate that notion. Not only have the Jets failed to score a touchdown in the first half since their Week 1 loss, but Fields once again has the highest average time to throw in the league at three full seconds.
Fields is an A+ athlete with an arm, but he's a slow processor, and that threatens to once again ruin another season with him as the starter.
Jets fans are finding out hard truth about Justin Fields Bears fans knew already
Fields is actually 16th in the league in EPA, ahead of players like Brock Purdy, Jalen Hurts, and Jayden Daniels (Williams ranks 24th). Once again, supporters will point to his lack of weapons (Josh Reynolds is his WR2) and the fact that his defense is putting him in untennable positions. In the pure act of throwing the ball, Fields has been solid and made real progress.
However, his processing speed is once again going to limit the Jets' passing game. Fields has made a very good offensive line look worse due to his penchant for holding on to the ball for too long. Even with a solid line in front of him, Fields is letting big plays go by the wayside as the sacks start to pile up.
While Williams still has an issue with holding onto the ball, his superior talent as a passer and the chemistry he has developed with Ben Johnson have been strong enough to mostly override those concerns. Fields can make plays, but Williams is a cut above as a passer so far.
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The Jets appear destined to ride the Fields roller coaster to another year with barely any wins and a pick high in the NFL Draft, while the Bears have seemingly gotten Williams to a point where he is much more comfortable and effective as a passer than Fields has been in his career.