During the Chicago Bears win on Sunday versus the Las Vegas Raiders, coach Matt Nagy decided to widen his approach and let QB Justin Fields take control. By doing this, Fields led the team to a 20-9 victory. He completed 12 out of 20 of his pass attempts for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Fields succeeded in this all while playing on a hyperextended left knee, on top of getting hit hard multiple times, including one hit that left him on the ground in the second quarter, spending time to regroup and catch his breath. Postgame, Nagy commented on this, saying he appreciated Fields’ toughness, which most likely means more starts from Fields in the near future.
Aside from Fields displaying grit leading to their win, Nagy coached this team’s way to victory as his play calls have improved from the last few weeks. He decided to spread the ball out, giving plenty of touches to both active running backs, letting Damien Williams rush the ball 16 times, and giving Khalil Herbert 18 rush attempts. Williams rushed for 64 yards and Herbet totaled 75.
Taking a look at Chicago’s pass game, Fields was able to complete the ball to 6 different targets, not favoring one specifically. WR Darnell Mooney led the way with 3 receptions for 35 yards, and Allen Robinson closely followed with 4 receptions for 32 yards. However, looking at these statistics compared to their running backs, it is clear that Nagy is favoring a run-heavy offense to win games this season.
People are debating the reason for Nagy’s approach, although many believe that he is favoring the run to get Justin Fields acclimated to the NFL. He wants Fields to be his starter but in order to do so, he needs the QB to be comfortable. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor opted for short pass plays in Sunday’s game, and was conservative with Fields’ arm, trying to make sure there were minimal mistakes made by him.
Matt Nagy and Bill Lazor will be working closely together for the rest of the season to decide what’s best for the team and, hopefully, Justin Fields will get an opportunity to showcase his arm as the season continues. With his mental and physical toughness, it looks like it will be sooner rather than later. But for now, the run game will be the main focus until the rookie QB proves he is comfortable and confident against top level defenses.
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