National Football League

Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields wows in loss at Pittsburgh

Updated Nov. 9, 2021 8:03 p.m. ET

The Chicago Bears might very well have found their franchise quarterback.

They couldn't pull off a victory on "Monday Night Football," dropping a tight 29-27 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but by most accounts, Justin Fields flashed signs of a starry future.

Fields, despite throwing an early interception, bounced back commendably, finishing his night with 291 passing yards and a TD on 17-for-29 passing as he brought the Bears back from a 14-0 deficit.

The rookie from Ohio State showed his poise as he coolly led a go-ahead drive in the final minutes. With Chicago down 26-20, Fields got the ball back with a little less than three minutes remaining following a Pittsburgh field goal.

Just more than a minute later, his team was waltzing into the end zone, fresh off a seven-play, 75-yard drive captained by No. 1. Fields accounted for every yard on the possession, either passing or rushing for positive yardage on five of the seven plays (two of his passes fell incomplete) as he flashed the ability to create yards with his playmaking skills.

But Chicago's first lead of the game didn't last long.

Shortly after the score, Big Ben and Pittsburgh created momentous waves of their own, driving quickly for the go-ahead field goal from Chris Boswell.

With 26 seconds left, Fields valiantly tried to get his group within field-goal range, but he was unable to guide Chicago substantially past midfield. Cairo Santos mustered all the leg strength he could on a 65-yard attempt for the win but came up short.

It was surely a disappointing end to an impressive second-half showing from Chicago.

Despite the sting of the defeat, the Bears can take solace in Fields' long-term future. For a franchise that has searched for decades for a top quarterback, that could be a huge development.

"The Bears lost the game, found a franchise quarterback," Colin Cowherd said Tuesday on "The Herd."

"I'll take that any day of the week. Everything I complained about Jordan Love of the Packers. I'm like, ‘Where’s the wow moment? Where's the juice? The coaches don't trust him. Look at the playcalling.'

"All of that last night, you saw it on every series with Justin Fields. Big, athletic, fast, huge arm, sit in the pocket, take shots. At one point, Matt Nagy said, he looked over at Justin Fields, and Fields gave him that look, like, ‘It’s go time.' Nagy said, 'You don't know how great that feels.'

"The Bears let the kid sit in the pocket and make throws. He averaged 17 yards per completion, more than any QB in this league. That's big-boy quarterbacking. It's not just one game. It doesn't take long to spot big-time talent. They got their guy."

Colin Cowherd: Bears might have lost, but Justin Fields has arrived I THE HERD

Justin Fields' performance in the Bears' loss Monday night was strong enough to convince Colin Cowherd that the Chicago Bears have found their franchise QB.

Skip Bayless praised Fields' performance as well.

"Justin Fields started feeling like ‘I got a little time to cut loose here,'" Bayless said Tuesday on "Undisputed."

"I'm seeing star quality from him. To me, he got more and more confident last night, and it's why these kids should be allowed to play. You're going to have growing pains, stops and starts, fits and spurts. The point is, you see before your very eyes: He's made of the right stuff. He can handle failing because you're going to fail, but then can you bounce back? It appears that he bounces back pretty quickly."

Fields has gotten noticeably better over the course of his rookie season. Over the past four weeks, he ranks fifth in the NFC in passing yards, with 824. That's more than Kyler Murray or Kirk Cousins can claim.

Fields is also fifth in the league in big passing plays (20 or more yards) with 14 — more than Tom Brady, Matt Ryan or Lamar Jackson. His eight completed passes of at least 20 yards are tied for second league-wide, and he's third among NFL QBs in rushing yards (229) in the same span.

In Week 9, Fields was Pro Football Focus' highest rated QB, with a 90.5 grade. His seven completions of 15-plus yards tied him for the most of the sort among all Bears QBs the past 15 seasons, and his 15.6 yards per attempt marked the second-highest metric of any QB this season. Fields is just one of two QBs with a 100-yard rushing game this season (Lamar Jackson).

And the praise is continuing to roll in.

"That skill set, that talent level, that level of athleticism," Marcellus Wiley said Tuesday on "First Things First." "With his mobility, with the team that he’s on right now, with how dysfunctional at times the Chicago Bears have been and are right now, man, this guy is special!"

Marcellus Wiley: Justin Fields is special! I SPEAK FOR YOURSELF

Justin Fields led the Bears on a late, go-ahead drive, but Chicago still fell short at Pittsburgh. Marcellus Wiley loves what he saw from the rookie QB.

Fields' numbers signify the ascension of a young signal-caller who's just beginning to figure things out at the NFL level.

That could spell trouble for the rest of the league very soon.