National Football League

Justin Fields to start for Chicago Bears on Sunday, but is he ready?

Published Sep. 22, 2021 4:44 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

It didn't take long for Justin Fields to earn his starting wings.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy announced on Wednesday that his flashy rookie quarterback would start Sunday's matchup at Cleveland. This came in the wake of the left knee injury Andy Dalton suffered in their 20-17 victory over the Bengals.

For more up-to-date news on all things Bears, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Fields' first NFL start will come after seeing limited time in the Bears' first two games. In Chicago's season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he was just 2-for-2 for 10 yards passing, and also added a rushing touchdown. After Dalton went down against Cincinnati on Sunday, Fields jumped in and completed six of his 13 passes for 60 yards and an interception.

Fields' upcoming start doesn't come as much of a surprise to many in the sports world. Some NFL insiders even believed Fields would be handed the franchise's starting keys heading into the season. Nonetheless, Fields will now get a chance to show what he can do – albeit under unfavorable circumstances on the road against the Browns.

But can Fields forge a path towards success for a team that has designs on the postseason?

Colin Cowherd isn't so convinced.

Colin Cowherd: 'It's Justin Fields time in Chicago' I THE HERD

Justin Fields is starting in Week 3 for the Chicago Bears. Colin Cowherd reacts to the news and lays out what he feels the future looks like for the rookie.

For more up-to-date news on all things "The Herd," click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

"It's going to be bumpy," Cowherd said on Wednesday's episode of the "The Herd." "Their offensive line is a mess. Justin Fields is going to be running for his life. They don't have a lot here. If Allen Robinson twists an ankle, I don't like the receiving corps. They're still waiting for Tarik Cohen to come back. It's not a great defense. I don't think Justin Fields has a lot to work with. Just be patient. I'm not saying it's Zach Wilson bad or Trevor Lawrence, but it's not close to what Mac Jones has."

Fields will have his work cut out for him in a division that Green Bay has dominated for years. And putting on the captain's hat for a struggling team is no easy feat. Just ask Lawrence and Wilson.

But while Fields' showing so far hasn't been spectacular from a statistical standpoint, Fields' skills and savvy looked solid to Dan Orlovsky.

In a recent video posted to Twitter, the former NFL QB graded Fields on a plus/minus scale regarding his reps Sunday. Fields only attempted 13 passes, but that tally was more than enough to evaluate. Orlovsky's grades: 13/13 on protections, 11/13 on his target allocation, 10/13 on his timing, and 12/13 on his accuracy. He also gave Fields a 90% approval rating on his 10 rushing attempts for 31 yards.

Fields' sample size was small, but so were the number of mistakes he made, according to Orlovsky.

And that's not much of a surprise for Skip Bayless, who's been clamoring for Fields' promotion since the initial decision to start Dalton was announced.

On a recent episode of "Undisputed" Bayless had this to say:

"I would be starting Justin Fields. I love this kid's body language, it says ‘I belong.’ He's just been a star from the start. He can move, and he's got guts. He's just got that gene in him where he makes big plays. I just think he's strong enough mentally that it wouldn't ruin him if he struggled."

Shannon Sharpe's opinion resided on the opposite side of the spectrum.

"I think Matt Nagy is doing a great job of protecting Fields from the Bears fans," Sharpe said. "This is what happened in the preseason: He only averaged 5.6 yards per attempt in the preseason, which would've finished dead last in the NFL regular season had he done that. He held on to the ball too long, took a lot of sacks, and he took a shot. You take many of those, you're going to be on the IR."

"I understand all of the physical gifts and his ability to run the football. But I don't believe he's ready. Give him more time."

For more up-to-date news on all things "Undisputed," click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

Fields will be the first rookie to start for the Bears since Mitchell Trubisky in 2017.

Since 1954, Bears rookie QB’s making their first career start have gone 6-11.

Chicago's game on Sunday against the Browns is at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.

For more up-to-date news on all things NFL, click here to register for alerts on the FOX Sports app!

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League

Justin Fields

Andy Dalton

Chicago Bears

Skip Bayless

Colin Cowherd

Shannon Sharpe

Skip and Shannon: Undisputed