Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields made his highly-anticipated debut Saturday against the Dolphins, where he helped lead Chicago to a 20-13 victory at Soldier Field.
While Fields got off to a rocky start, he quickly settled in and was able to orchestrate three consecutive scoring drives, which highlighted his impressive skillset, namely his mobility and his natural arm talent.
Fields completed 14-of-20 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown for a 106.7 passer rating. He added five rushes for 33 yards and a score. But it wasn’t the stats that told the story, it was the eye test. For his first NFL game action, Fields looked poised, despite some struggles on the offensive line and receivers struggling to find separation.
After the game, Fields was asked about adjusting to the speed of the NFL game. But for Fields, he didn’t seem fazed.
”It was actually kind of slow to me to be honest,” he told reporters after the game.
Justin Fields on the speed of the NFL game: “It was actually kind of slow to me to be honest.”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) August 14, 2021
Following Fields’ impressive performance, there are naturally going to be questions about why Andy Dalton has been named the starter before the start of the season. While Dalton played just two series, the first-team offense was lackluster and rather uninspired, going three-and-out on both drives.
Granted, the Bears were down three starting offensive linemen, which was evident. But there was a lack of rhythm, which seemed to carry over from the joint practices against Miami earlier in the week.
While Fields’ performance against the Dolphins probably won’t be enough to change Matt Nagy’s mind about riding with Dalton as the team’s starting quarterback in Week 1.
But if Fields continues to build on Saturday’s debut during the final two preseason games, it’ll be hard for Nagy to justify going with Dalton if Fields gives the Bears the best chance to win.
Strap in, the preseason just got interesting.
