Which Chicago Bears were winners in Week 11 vs. Lions?

The Chicago Bears gave all of their fans a glimpse of what was promised to them at the start of the season. This was a game in which all of the key pieces were healthy for the first time all season, and good things were happening for three quarters. The defense had four takeaways and the offense was keeping up and actually outperforming the high-powered Lions offense. It just had to be too good to be true.

What started as a potential upset and possible turning point in the season ended in an agonizing loss once again to a divisional rival. The coaches could not just ride their best player out and let him go out and put the game on ice. Instead, playing it safe costs the Bears who now fall to 3-8 on the year.

Chicago Bears Week 11 Winner No. 1: Justin Fields

Justin Fields came back to the Chicago Bears in great fashion. It was a breath of fresh air seeing how the offense can operate with him in the game. While Tyson Bagent was a fun story and provided enough to cover Fields injury time, it is so clear how much Justin Fields means to this offense. The combination of his ability to hit a deep ball and his running game is a nightmare for many defenses, and that was on full display against the Lions.

While the numbers usually do not jump off the page with Fields, he posted a solid 16/23 passing with 169 yards and a touchdown to go along with 104 yards rushing. This was the Justin Fields that we saw at the end of last season and the one we expected to see so far. He might not throw for 250+ yards a game but he makes up for it with his production on the ground. Even when he has had success this season we have not seen the running part of his game much. While becoming a better pocket passer is important, the Bears need to continue to rely on him as a dual threat and not try to bottle up his best assets.

Fields looked confident and decisive for the most part. Obviously, there were a couple of misses, but he made some great deep throws, including one to D.J. Moore for a touchdown and one to Tyler Scott that should have been caught. The throw to Scott came on a third and nine play after two consecutive inside handoffs for no gain.

The Bears were backed up on their own 25-yard line and if they strung a couple of firsts together it could have iced the game. Luke Getsy decided to play it safe which resulted in a third and long. Fields made the throw, but Tyler Scott did not track it well and ultimately dropped the pass. Still, it showed that Fields bailed out Getsy even if the receiver did not make the catch.

This was a great start to the prove-it part of the season for Fields. He was not the reason the Bears lost this game today. He made a lot of big plays, especially, on third down, and this was the closest thing we have seen to the dual threat Justin Fields that flashed last season. Hopefully, he can continue to build on this going forward.