The Bears Are Pushing the Pace with Justin Fields
This past Sunday, Justin Fields single-handedly kept the Chicago Bears in the mix against their division rival Detroit Lions. Fields accounted for four touchdowns on the day, and were it not for a missed extra point he may have walked away with a victory rather than a 31–30 loss. It was an explosive day for Fields, and this sort of performance has started to become the norm. Just last week, he set an NFL record by rushing for 178 yards in another close loss to the Dolphins.
Simply put, Justin Fields suddenly looks dominant.
While this success hasn’t translated to the win-loss record yet, it’s provided Chicago a foundation they can build upon. This franchise has been starving for good quarterback play for ages, and Fields is starting to look like he may be exactly what they’ve been searching for.
During the early portion of the season, the Bears really struggled on offense. It initially looked as though 2022 was destined to be another disappointing season and Fields was another swing and miss at the quarterback position. Through the first six weeks, Chicago averaged just 15 points per game offensively with their biggest lowlight coming via a 7 point outing against the Commanders on Thursday Night Football.
Then a switch was flipped.
Following that loss to the Commanders, the Bears are averaging 31 points per game and seem to have evolved into an offensive juggernaut.
So what’s changed? And more importantly, is it sustainable?
One element of Chicago’s turnaround that can’t be overlooked is the timing. It’s no secret that NFL players despise playing on Thursdays, but the one (non-financial) benefit teams gain is the mini-bye they receive afterwards. It’s common for NFL coaches to use the extra time during a bye to conduct a lot of self scouting and evaluate where they can make internal tweaks and improvements. If these last four weeks are any indication, Head Coach Matt Eberflus and his staff uncovered something special during Chicago’s mini-bye.
In just a week and a half the Bears’ coaching staff seemed to have re-tailored their entire strategy to fit the strengths of their roster (most notably their quarterback). The points followed suit, and now Fields looks like a star in the making. If we look closely at the timing and execution of these changes, we can see that the Bears are following a successful blueprint that was laid by another NFC team this team last year.
If we put this 2022 Bears team under a microscope, we see a stark resemblance to the 2021 Eagles. Both teams were building around young, unproven quarterbacks with unique skillsets. They each had a first-year head coach running the show — both of whom looked like they were in over their heads at times. In general, there wasn’t a ton of optimism around these two teams during the early portion of their seasons.
Then came Thursday Night Football.
This time last year, Philadelphia was in the exact same place as Chicago. Following an underwhelming Thursday Night loss in Tampa Bay, the Eagles entered their mini-bye week with intention. The changes that followed suit altered the trajectory of their franchise:
The major tweak the Eagles made in their offensive approach was a transition to a run-first offense. They tailored their offensive approach around their dominant offensive line and put Jalen Hurts’ strengths as a runner on full display. This shift not only fueled a second half win streak, but it also formed an identity the team is still embracing throughout their impressive 2022 season.
We’re seeing a similar pattern emerge this year in Chicago. While the Bears are also running the ball more often — specifically with their quarterback — their uptick in rush attempts only tells part of the story.
Another reason Fields and company are running more often is because they’re running more plays. Period.
In recent weeks the Bears have put the pedal to the metal and started playing at a breakneck pace. Through the first six weeks of the season, Chicago averaged just 55.9 offensive snaps — good for 30th in the NFL. Over the last four weeks, that number jumped up to 67.2 which would rank 4th. There’s a correlation between number of plays and the amount of points being the Bears are scoring, but there’s also a hidden benefit no one else is talking about. More plays for the offense means more reps for Justin Fields.
Right now, the most important thing the Bears need to figure out is whether or not Justin Fields is their franchise quarterback. With each passing week it looks more and more like that answer is a resounding yes. Having that franchise quarterback in house is only half the battle though. To find success at the highest level, both the coaching staff and front office need to work in tandem with Fields to maximize his talents continue fostering his development.
Additional reps not only provide Fields with additional experience, but they also provide the coaching staff with increased opportunity to experiment with personnel groupings, formations, and play calls. This ability experiment is helping them identify what the backbone of their Justin-Fields led offense should look like. Meanwhile, these additional plays provide the new, analytically-friendly front office with more data points they can use as they continue improving their roster.
The trendy way to build a winning team in the NFL right now is by acquiring the quarterback first, building the offense around him, and waiting to address the defense until those first two steps are complete. While the Bears’ new front office hasn’t put a group of world beaters around Fields on offense, we’re starting to see them take steps in that direction. Not only did they acquire a weapon in the passing game for Fields (Chase Claypool) at the trade deadline, but they also got rid of two of their better defenders (Roquon Smith and Robert Quinn) to acquire some draft capital.
We’re not just seeing an offensive explosion in Chicago, we’re witnessing a full blown philosophical shift.
It’s nearly impossible to win in the NFL if you can’t get good play from your quarterback. With Fields, Chicago appears to have a guy that can deliver on that necessity, and they’re using pace as a way to help expedite his development and improve their ability to build around him. The organization has a plan in place and they have plenty of assets at their disposal this offseason to continue progressing forward:
It’s not just the quarterback position that should have Bears’ fans excited. It’s the cohesion between quarterback, coaching staff, and front office. For the first time in ages, everyone in Chicago appears to be on the same page. They didn’t simply draft Fields and pray that he’d fix their problems for them, but instead they’ve made him the center-piece of a well designed blueprint.
Of course none of this guarantees future success. If the Bears want to make an Eagles-like leap in 2023, they still have a long ways to go.
The cap space and draft picks still need to be used wisely, Fields needs to continue progressing, and the coaching staff needs to prove they can translate all of this to wins on Sundays. There are no guarantees in the NFL, but rebuilds are happening quicker than ever before, and Bears fans finally have legitimate reasons to be excited about what’s coming next.
