Justin Fields finally crossed a crucial need off his list of things to do to prove that he can be the Chicago Bears quarterback moving forward. Fields has had the ball with a chance to win the game countless times, and he finally gave the Bears a field goal to win it on Monday.
Still, as the Bears head into their bye week, there will be five more games where we need to see the best Justin Fields has ever played. What are the most important things we have to see in this time?
3. Justin Fields must continue to limit sacks for the Chicago Bears
It is clear that Justin Fields heard the talk about what Tyson Bagent could do better than him when he injured his thumb. Bagent did not bring much spark to the offense, but because he reduced negative plays, the Bears got to 2-2 when he started. Justin Fields left his week six games with the lowest pressure-to-sack rate of his career, but it was still over 20%. That stat is vital because it cannot be blamed on the offensive line; it is about how often you succumb to the bad offensive line.
For comparison, Bagent was at 9.4%. Fields does not have to get that low because he brings so many more big plays, but he had to reduce the number of times he was sacked. So far, he has. Against Detroit, he had a 14.3% pressure-to-sack rate, and against Minnesota, it was 13.6%.
These are the third and fourth-lowest rates in a game through his entire career and the two best games of his season. It is also the best two-game run of his career, where his pressure-to-sack rate currently sits at 13.9%.
The Chicago Bears can live with this, though it is more than 10 percent below his career rate. Can Justin Fields finish closer to 12 percent than 20 percent the rest of the way? That would show he is making sustained improvement.
2. Justin Fields has to hold onto the football if the Chicago Bears are going to trust him
Justin Fields has worked on staying in the pocket and getting the ball out more often. However, this has come at a small cost. In the last two weeks, he has had three fumbles, compared to four in the six games prior.
This issue appears to be less about sack avoidance and more about issues in close games. He had devastating fumbles against the Buccaneers and Broncos in games where he could ice the game. He fumbled on a strip sack late against Detroit, fumbled twice while trying to put the game away, and then came back against Minnesota.
It is a serious problem that almost all of his fumbles come in the moments when you need your best player to be clutch. Fields got his first game-winning drive but only needed to do so because of his first fumble, and his second fumble showed him blowing his first shot at the drive. He will only get so many second chances at a game-winning drive. Can he do right the first time around without fumbles? Can he limit turnovers? He has a 5.3% turnover-worthy throw rate since his return, and his career rate is 3.9%.
1. Can the Chicago Bears win more than they lose with Justin Fields down the stretch
This one is relatively simple. The Chicago Bears need to win more with Justin Fields as their quarterback. They have been 1-1 with him since he returned and have played their best football in recent weeks. Even before he got injured, he just guided the Bears to their first win of the season. Still, he is 2-6 in starts this year, and 2-5 if you exclude the Vikings game that he was injured in.
We need to see him finish a lot stronger. The Bears have five games, and with teams like the Cardinals and Falcons, they will be expected to win or be in those games until the end. The Packers in week 18 could be a statement game, and even the winning record teams like the Browns and Lions have issues. The Browns do not have a quarterback, and Chicago almost beat Detroit already.
There are five winnable games. If Justin Fields starts 3-2 after the bye, he would be 4-3 after his injury. That is a sign of progress.
If Fields comes back, the Bears have a soft schedule, and they are fully healthy, but they still have a losing record in his seven games as the starter. The Bears have to realize he is not the man. One win against a division rival is good, but we need to see at least three more before this is even a discussion.