Bear Digest

Justin Fields' Issue Finishing Games Resurfaces

Justin Fields had the Bears in position to win but as has happened so often in the past the Bears failed to make the plays down the stretch, losing 27-17 to Tampa Bay.
Gene Chamberlain|
Justin Fields' Issue Finishing Games Resurfaces
Justin Fields' Issue Finishing Games Resurfaces

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Chicago Bears

Justin Fields failed at a last drive again.

It's no longer news. Dog bites man.

In fairness, he would have needed a second-straight scoring drive from deep in his own territory to get the job done in Sunday's 27-17 loss to Tampa Bay, but the point is it has all become very repetitive: The late-game failures, the mistakes and the defeats.

The Bears quarterback has produced 20 points and 17 in two games, has a 5-22 career record as starter and dating back to last year against Detroit has produced three straight poor efforts with a combined passer rating of 63.5.

This is regression and not the strides forward everyone with the Bears expected to see, or even that Fields would have wanted to see in order to get his fifth-year option picked up next spring.

Fields called the interception he threw to decided the game simply a good play by Shaq Barrett on the screen, the catch made as Fields threw to Khalil Herbert at his own 4-yard line.

"We had a screen called, No. 7 (Barrett) he made a good play one-handed," Fields told reporters. "He caught it with one hand and took it back. He didn't have that far to return it."

Plays like it had been working. 

Herbert took another screen 23 yards. However, it wasn't a dire situation yet so it's legitimate to question whether they really needed a screen at that moment. It was first down, first-and-11 because Chase Claypool had been flagged for offensive pass interference.

"I mean yeah in that situation it's tough because if you call a deeper pass you don't want to drop back in the end zone and potentially to take a safety, " Fields said.

The failed final drive meant seven straight losses when the Bears had a chance to win or tie with a final possession, or what they thought would be a final drive. On one of those in 2022 Velus Jones Jr. muffed a punt and they didn't get the chance to tie. Their last win on a late possession was when they beat Houston 23-20 last year, but Fields merely needed to hand off a few times on that drive before they kicked the winning field goal after a Roquan Smith interception deep in Houston territory.

Beyond the screen pass interception, Fields also had trouble running against the Buccaneers. He had 3 yards on four carries, the fewest yards he's rushed for in any NFL start. 

"I don't know what their game plan was but their game plan could have been to stop me in the run game," Fields said. "So I have no idea. When it goes that way you've got to do something else to score on them. It is what it is.

"It looks like they weren't trying to let me get out the outside and run with it."

The Bears adjusted at times during the game and Fields hit the occasional pass to DJ Moore, accounting for 104 yards on six attempts. Claypool had a 20-yard TD catch and earned high praise from Matt Eberflus for bouncing back a week after  his play stirred anger among fans. 

However, it's Fields who needs to be better, who needs to lead those last-minute drives to the end zone or at least for field goals so they can tie or win games.

"But at the same time we're going through a storm right now," Fields said.

It's more like a never-ending hurricane.

The losses pile up but Fields said they don't dwell on it because all but 10 of the 12 games in the slide happened last year.

"The past is the past," he said. "We can't do anything about that."

It appears right now they're not doing enough about the future and this can't be of comfort to a quarterback whose career is on the line this year.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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