Justin Fields has been impressive over the past handful of games, and has quickly proven to the Chicago Bears that he is their best option at quarterback for the future. But now, he might be forced to sit out for an extended period of time.
During the last series of the 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Fields fell awkwardly on his shoulder during a designed run and clearly came up in pain. He would stay in the game for the next two plays, throwing the game-clinching interception in the final minute.
When speaking to reporters this week, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was extremely cryptic about the injury. While calling it a “day-today” situation, Eberflus also hinted that Fields could be shut down until being re-evaluated during their Dec. 11 bye week.
‘‘Certainly, all those things have to be looked at,’’ Eberflus said via Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘When you’re looking at an injury for any player, what are the long-term effects of that and then where is it? Where exactly is it? Is it something that we can play through, or is it something that we can have rest? With any player, we take into equation those two things.’’
Bears vs. Jets Betting Odds Shift Amid Justin Fields Injury News
After opening as a 2.5-point underdog against the Jets, the Bears are now 4.5-point dogs (per DraftKings) when they travel to New York Sunday. While Fields’ injury certainly affects the dynamic of Sunday’s matchup, things are far from pretty for the Jets. In Week 11, Jets quarterback Zach Wilson struggled mightily and faced criticism for his reluctance to take responsibility for a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots.
New York head coach Robert Saleh would not commit to Wilson being the team’s quarterback against the Bears on Sunday.
“No, not right now. Not until I’m done evaluating everything,” Saleh said via NFL.com when asked if he could confirm Wilson as his QB for Sunday.
For the Bears, it’ll be veteran Trevor Siemian under center if Fields is unable to go.
‘‘We would just lean on one side of the offense, as opposed to leaning on the side that we’ve expanded to, to a certain degree,’’ Eberflus said. ‘‘I think that would be a pretty easy transition. Trevor is obviously a very smart individual, a very good passer, has a great grasp of the offense. He’s been here since Day 1. High functional intelligence.’’
A Trevor Simian-Joe Flacco QB matchup would certainly be less intriguing than the matchup of Fields and Wilson, who were both drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. But in all likelihood, Fields will be held out and Chicago will exercise caution with their QB given the rebuilding season they’re in the midst of.
