National Football League

Justin Fields 'tired of being almost there,' but Bears have long way to go

Updated Oct. 14, 2022 1:54 p.m. ET

By Carmen Vitali
FOX Sports NFC North Writer

It's second-and-goal at the 3-yard line. The Chicago Bears have the ball early in Thursday night's game against the Washington Commanders. Neither team has scored.

Chicago quarterback Justin Fields drops back, and it doesn't take long for tight end Ryan Griffin to come open. He's just outside the end zone with no defender in sight. Fields spots him and throws. Only, there was a little bit of a hesitation on Griffin's part during his route — and it proved costly. He was late to the spot Fields expected him to be in. The ball fell incomplete. The Bears almost had the first points of the game.

Almost.

Two plays later, it's fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line. Continuing a trend from last week, Chicago coach Matt Eberflus decides to be aggressive. Instead of taking the near-certain three points via field goal, the Bears go for it. Running back Khalil Herbert was the hero who ran the ball 64 yards down the field earlier in the drive and helped get Chicago to this point. Surely, he could get one more.

But he didn't. He was stopped short by a Washington front that, despite the struggles of the overall team at this point, is likely one of the best in the league. The score remained 0-0. The Bears almost scored.

Almost.

Fast-forward to the Bears' final drive of the night. Chicago is down 12-7, they have no timeouts and there is 1:49 left to play. After converting a third-and-5 on a 13-yard pass to wide receiver Darnell Mooney, Fields takes off for 39 yards to get the Bears within striking distance.

There are now 35 seconds left on the clock and Chicago has fourth-and-goal at the 4-yard line. It's Mooney who comes open again, skimming the goal line with a defender right on him. Mooney bobbles the ball upon first contact and Washington cornerback Benjamin St-Juste is able to keep Mooney's body from breaking the plane once he gets control of the ball. It's short. The Bears almost won the game.

Almost.

"We always get told that we're almost there, we're almost there," a frustrated Fields said after the game. "Me personally, I'm tired of being almost there. I'm tired of being just this close. I feel like I've been hearing it for so long now."

Fields is in his second offensive system in as many years. He never reached the point where he was comfortable with former coach Matt Nagy's scheme. It didn't ever quite click.

And he started from square one all over again this year. The frustration is understandably compounding on his part. He has been told to be patient and that he's almost there for a full calendar year at this point. He was even told so after tonight's game.

"Again, it's all about execution," Eberflus said. "Comes down to six or seven plays, and I told the guys, listen, it's — we're right there. We're right there. Just got to keep believing and keep believing in what we're doing and how we're doing it. We're right there, and we're going to get over that hump."

The reality is that the "almostness" of a game that was very winnable for Chicago isn't, in fact, a microcosm of the Bears as a whole. They aren't "almost there." They still have a long way to go across multiple avenues.

You might say Fields missed open receivers throughout the night. And perhaps he did. But there were also multiple drops by said receivers.

You might say Fields decides to run too soon and too often. And perhaps he does. But there were breakdowns in protection all night by an offensive line that was shuffled around in-game, never mind that they have also been shuffled all year.

"I got to be more consistent," rookie left tackle Braxton Jones said. "I've got to give No. 1 a chance, not letting him get rattled early. I think that's the biggest thing.

"When you'd have a guy like that, (who) can get around so well, move around in that pocket, you live and die by it."

Jones had a tough night. He was sitting back, waiting to get bull-rushed by one of the NFL's best pass-rushers in Washington's Montez Sweat. The Commanders' front dominated the line of scrimmage and whatever progress was made in the protection last week against Minnesota seemed to have disappeared against a more formidable foe.

It's further proof the Bears just aren't there. They're simply still getting used to a new system with a lot of new players and new voices leading the way. It's not the sexy answer, and it's redundant, but it's reality.

Being "almost there" and believing in what the team is doing are two separate things, though. You can still believe in what this team could become and the potential of its parts when they put it all together while recognizing the Bears aren't anywhere close to that point.

"All you can do is get back to work," Fields said. "That's the only reaction you have. Live and you learn, and get back to next week and keep going, keep getting better."

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.