Just as things were beginning to look up for the Chicago Bears, they suffered yet another setback. Heading into a Week 6 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, quarterback Justin Fields put together the two best performances of his career in back-to-back starts.
In Week 4 against the Denver Broncos and Week 5 against the Washington Commanders, Fields completed 43-of-64 pass attempts for 617 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He added 82 yards rushing on 15 carries and looked to have finally turned a corner.
The Bears went 1-1 in those two games, blowing a 21-point fourth-quarter lead against the Broncos. But, it was encouraging to see such positive performances after a tough start to the season. Unfortunately, the positive momentum was stopped in its tracks on Sunday afternoon.
Against the Vikings, Field was forced out of the game in the third quarter after taking a sack and falling on his hand. He was forced to the sidelines and listed as questionable to return before eventually being ruled out for the afternoon.
According to head coach Matt Eberflus, Fields was pushing to come back into the game. But, it was not physically possible as Fields was unable to grip the football, leading to his status being changed to out.
“With him, he wanted to come back in the game, but … he just couldn’t grip the ball to throw it right now,” Eberflus said in the postgame. “We’ll see where it is. Like I said, the MRI [is tomorrow]. That’s all I have. We’ll have more information tomorrow.”
In that postgame, Eberflus did provide one piece of positive information on the Bears’ starting quarterback. The x-rays on Fields’ hand came back negative, which is certainly an encouraging sign. The MRI will determine the severity of what exactly the injury being dealt with.
In relief of Fields, the Bears turned to undrafted rookie Tyson Bagnet of Division II Shepard University. He finished his NFL debut completing 10-of-14 passes for 83 yards with a one-yard touchdown run, but his two turnovers were a major deterrent to the team winning the game.
If Fields is unable to suit up for the Bears’ Week 7 contest against the Chicago Bears, it will likely be Bagnet under center. He beat out veteran Nathan Peterman, the only other quarterback on the roster, for the No. 2 job this offseason.
