Bears place quarterback Fields on reserve/COVID-19 list

Updated Jan. 6, 2022 2:21 p.m. ET

Associated Press

The Chicago Bears placed quarterback Justin Fields on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday, likely sidelining him for the finale and ending his rookie season.

The Bears expected Fields to start at Minnesota on Sunday after missing the previous two games because of an ankle injury. That plan is now in doubt.

It's been an up-and-down season for Fields, who has shown promising flashes and room to improve while dealing with injuries.

Fields has completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,870 yards. He has more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (seven) to go with a 73.2 passer rating.

Chicago is 2-8 in the games he has started, dropping seven straight with him in the lineup since wins over Detroit and Las Vegas in Weeks 4 and 5.

The Bears planned to have the former Ohio State star back up veteran Andy Dalton after trading up nine spots with the New York Giants to draft him with the No. 11 overall pick. That changed after Dalton was injured in Week 2 against Cincinnati.

Fields put together several promising performances in a row before cracking his ribs against Baltimore in Week 11. He missed the next two games, then returned in the loss to Green Bay on Dec. 12 before hurting his ankle in a loss to Minnesota at Soldier Field in Week 15.

The Bears (6-10) won the past two games, beating the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants with Nick Foles and Dalton starting, after losing eight of nine. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor would not say who would start in Fields' place.

A day after rookie Micah Parsons went on the COVID-19 list, the Dallas Cowboys placed offensive tackle Tyron Smith and cornerback Anthony Brown on the list going into Saturday's game in Philadelphia against the Eagles.

Cincinnati placed defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi on the COVID-19 list. He has a career-high seven sacks in his first season with the Bengals after spending his first four in Cleveland. Earlier in the week, the Bengals placed running back Joe Mixon, defensive tackle B.J. Hill, safety Vonn Bell, defensive end Trey Hendrickson, center Trey Hopkins and left guard Quinton Spain on the COVID-19 list.

The Indianapolis Colts placed veteran safety Andrew Sendejo on the COVID-19 list, leaving them without a key defender as they try to clinch a playoff spot at Jacksonville. Sendejo has started 10 of the 12 games he has played. He has missed the past two after entering the concussion protocol.

___

More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/pro-32 and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL