Chicago Bears: Week 6 takeaways and more following loss to Packers

Takeaway Two: Justin Fields’ development is undeniable

When Chicago Bears fans made the public push for Justin Fields to start, I sincerely hoped they weren’t expecting him to step onto the field and be Aaron Rodgers from day one. I know that in recent memory, quarterbacks like Dak Prescott, Deshaun Watson, and Justin Herbert have created the illusion that franchise QBs are born ready.

However, this is entirely different from reality. More telling are the examples such as Josh Allen and Russell Wilson, whose talent was on constant display early in their career, but greatly benefited from not having to do too much for their teams to win. Later on, they developed into lethal passers that can now carry their teams to the playoffs year in and year out.

Justin Fields made his mistakes on Sunday, potentially leaving six points on the board as a result of mental lapses leading to bad sacks out of field goal range twice. However, in a game where the Packers asked him to make decisions with the football, he looked much more poised and sharp than he did against Cleveland (the last game where he was forced to play from behind).

Additionally, we saw Fields become a more decisive runner – something we lamented about his performance against Las Vegas just a week ago. Justin Fields is improving – rapidly – every single week, but at times it’s covered up by an outdated, uber-conservative scheme that asks him to not do too much to help his team win. This will work against any average/below-average team, but as Sunday showed, it won’t hold up versus title contenders like the Packers. I’d urge fans to ease up on him and let the development progress at a natural pace – he will get there in due time.