Fields concedes Bears offense may be hindering development

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields reacts after throwing an incomplete pass in the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Fields concedes Bears offense may be hindering his development

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 9/24/22

The Chicago Bears have the 32nd-ranked passing offense in the NFL, and the gap between them and the team ahead of them is sizeable.

The Bears have averaged just 76.5 yards passing through two games and they’re the only team in the league without at least one 150-yard passing game this season.

Quarterback Justin Fields has completed just 15 passes and attempted only 28, ranking 31st and 33rd, respectively, in each category. For comparison, the only QBs to start at least one game this year with fewer completions are Dak Prescott (140 and Jimmy Garoppolo (13), and the only one with less attempts is Garoppolo (21), who have each started just one game.

“If I threw zero passes and we won the game, I wouldn’t have any problems (with it),” Fields told reporters recently. “Our goal as a team, as an offense is to win games. Nobody is looking at how many passes did I have, how many yards did I have? We’re just trying to win the game.”

Bryce Young has more yards in the first half tonight (316) than Justin Fields has in 2 games (191) pic.twitter.com/V8JI43q0ba
— PointsBet Sportsbook (@PointsBetUSA) September 25, 2022

Chicago has 26 total first downs this season, but just six have come via pass. Of quarterbacks to start and finish two or more games this year, Fields’ total passing yards (191) is still 173 yard behind the next closest QB, New York's Daniel Jones (364 yards).

Fields has completed fewer than 10 passes in both games this year and in three of his 12 games last year. Of Fields’ 14 career appearances, he’s attempted 20 or fewer passes in exactly half of them.

While he’s taken his fair share of criticism for Chicago’s underwhelming offensive production this year, the 23-year-old QB admitted that the extenuating circumstances of playing in an offensive scheme that limits how much he throws has made it difficult for him to progress as a passer.

“Yeah, maybe,” Fields said when asked if it’s tough to develop as a QB when he doesn’t get an opportunity to throw much. “But my No. 1 priority in my job is to run the plays like I was taught to and to execute them at the best of my ability and ultimately win games. If our offensive coordinator thinks that the play that he’s giving me are going to help us win the game, that’s all I care about.”

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