The Chicago Bears lost in devastating fashion to the Detroit Lions, but there definitely were some positives to take away from the game. Justin Fields made his return to the lineup, and he looked pretty good, which will complicate the decision of whether to move on from him or not in the upcoming draft.
What were some of the things we saw from Justin Fields after Tyson Bagent made four starts for the Bears?
3. Justin Fields was taking fewer bad sacks for the Chicago Bears
One of the big notes when Tyson Bagent stepped in for Justin Fields, was how few sacks Bagent was taking. It was the same offensive line and same play caller, but more sacks for Fields. It failed to note that Fields was making more plays down the field in exchange for those sacks, but still, Fields was the worst culprit at taking sacks of any quarterback, and that had to improve.
On Sunday, he did take two sacks, but that was the lowest sack rate of his season. It also was the lowest pressure to sack rate. He posted a 14.3% pressure to sack rate. This stat is important because it takes away the offensive line. When you are already under pressure, how often do you take a sack?
Fields was at 21.7% for his season, so that is 7% below that rate. In his entire career, this was the third lowest pressure-to-sack-rate. It is clear that this was a talking point in the time that Fields was out. Also, it does seem like Fields took some notes from watching Tyson Bagent.
Seeing Justin Fields learn and grow in this area is good. Now, we need six more games with a low pressure-to-sack rate. He needs to get his season rate under 20%. That would show the improvement needed.
2. Justin Fields is pushing the ball down the field more
One of the biggest differences for Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent is downfield passing. Fields took more sacks but had more yards and fewer turnovers when he throws the ball down the field. In one game back, we saw an immediate difference.
From weeks 7-10, Tyson Bagent had a 6% deep pass attempt rate. Justin Fields saw 13% of his attempts travel 20 yards. Fields had as many 20-yard completions against Detroit as Bagent did in all four of his starts.
Fields had an average depth of target of 12.3, while Bagent was at 6.2. Also, Fields averaged 7.3 yards per attempt, while Bagent was at 6 yards.
This was a huge boost for D.J. Moore as well. Moore caught a deep pass for a touchdown. He had seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 53 yards per game with Bagent and immediately shot right back up with Fields.
In games when Fields starts and finishes, he averages 104.5 yards per game, and that is a bigger sample than Bagent. He nearly doubled his production because of Fields being out there. That is a big split.
1. The Chicago Bears will get more mobility out of their quarterback
This one is pretty obvious. Tyson Bagent has 106 rushing yards in four games. Justin Fields added 104 yards on the ground on Sunday. That is a stark difference in players. Nobody has the athletic ability of Fields, so it is not a shock, but it does bring an added dimension.
Fields had a 14% scramble rate, and the Bears had a 33% designed rush rate on Sunday. For comparison, Bagent was at 7% in scramble rate and 9% in designed runs when he started.
Designed runs being at 33% is pretty notable because fans had been calling for them, and they only had a 20% rate going into the game. That jacked it up, and saw the results.
The Bears' rushing attack was looking good with Bagent because of the offensive line. Now, with Fields, the rushing attack should be better than ever. They had a tough time against Detroit, but they have a chance to make noise against Minnesota on the ground on Monday.