Justin Fields showed signs of being a star in the making this season. With the season being over, I’d like to reflect on his 5 best performances of the season.
1. Week 9 vs. Miami Dolphins
This game was Justin Fields’ coming out party. He displayed his excellence as a runner and also showed his potential as a passer. Fields was 17/28 with 123 yards, 3 Touchdowns, 0 INTs, along with 178 rushing yards and a touchdown. That touchdown run of 61 yards was arguably the best moment of 2022 for Bears fans. His connection with Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet was also on full display. Mooney had 7 catches, Kmet had 5. This was also the game after bringing in Chase Claypool. While he didn’t do much, it seemed as if his presence alone opened up the offense for the Bears, when they desperately needed it.
2. Week 10 vs. Detroit Lions
Justin Fields took his excellence from week 9 against Miami and took it to the next week against Detroit. Fields was 12/20 for 167 yards, 2 Touchdowns, 1 INT, along with 147 rushing yards and 2 Rushing Touchdowns. Every Quarterback can have a good game. Fields did it for consecutive games and that said a lot to the fanbase. Mitch Trubisky had a 6 Touchdown game once, but after that, he was never at that level again. Fields flashed the deep ball along with improved decision making. While he flashed progress as a decision maker, the interception he threw was to Lions CB Jeff Okudah and quite honestly, the worst decision I’ve seen him make.
3. Week 7 @ New England Patriots
This game sparked a ton of hope for Bears fans. Could the season be turned around after a rocky start? The answer ended up being no and it was their last win of the season, but this game was an absolute beatdown. This was when the Patriots were riding a Quarterback carousel with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe. The defense balled, but the offense put up almost 40 points. This was the beginning of an extremely promising 4-5 week stretch for Fields. He flamed out a bit toward the end of the year, but there was a flurry of injuries that caused that. Fields. He went 13/21 for 179 yards and a touchdown, along with 82 rushing yards and a touchdown. The most important thing is that Fields sustained this for a month or so. That’s why it gave so many people hope.
4. Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers
The best game throwing the ball this year came against the team up north. Fields has always played well in rivalry games going back to college, when Ohio State beat Michigan in both of Fields’ seasons as a starter. Fields only threw 2 or 3 incompletions in this game before the final drive, when the game was out of reach, The Packers certainly weren’t the best defense this year, but completing that high of a percentage of your passes is impressive regardless of who the opponent is. The Packers currently own the Bears like they have for years, but maybe, just maybe, the rivalry will flip soon.
5. Week 16 vs Philadelphia Eagles
For how undermanned the Bears were at this point in the season, the way Fields played in this game against one of the best defenses in the NFL is super impressive. He lost Chase Claypool and Teven Jenkins early in the game, and considering the circumstances, this may be the most impressive game Fields had all year, even if it wasn’t the overall best game from him. The Bears went toe to toe against the NFL’s best team up until the Eagles sort of pulled away at the end. This game pretty much capped off the most exciting season we’ve seen from a Bears Quarterback in quite some time.
