One of the biggest reasons why the Chicago Bears moved on from Justin Fields last offseason was due to his struggles during the fourth quarter of games.
Throughout the offseason, the Bears were not subtle with their takedowns of Fields' play during the closing minutes of games last season. Limiting turnovers in the fourth quarter and the ability to orchestrate a game-winning drive is one of the main reasons why Matt Eberflus likely did not object to the Bears' decision to replace Fields with Caleb Williams.
Williams fumbled in the fourth quarter of the Bears' loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, leading to their second consecutive loss. Fields, meanwhile, is undefeated with the Steelers, but one stat in particular makes the Bears look extremely bad through the first three weeks of the season.
Ex-Bear Fun Fact: Justin Fields leads the NFL in fourth-quarter passer rating this season (129.6). Last year with the #Bears he was 32nd (53.4). 🤔
— Mark Potash (@MarkPotash) September 23, 2024
Justin Fields is the NFL's best fourth-quarter quarterback this season.
With each passing day, it's becoming more apparent that while not perfect, Fields was not the leading reason for the Bears' offensive problems last season. To take it a step further, it's becoming even more apparent that Fields' quarterback with the play shouldn't have excused the poor coaching we have seen from Matt Eberflus in the three years prior to now.
Fields' success in the fourth quarter this season is further proof of how wide the gap is between the NFL's best head coaches and Eberflus. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin never fails to put his players in a position to succeed. It should be no surprise that there is an uptick from Fields this season when the game matters the most.
This was every Bears fan's biggest fear. Fields would begin to show improvements in the areas he struggled with during his time with the Bears, and the Bears realized that even Caleb Williams couldn't outshine an inept coaching staff.