Is Justin Fields starting Week 2 of the Chicago Bears Pre-Season?

The Chicago Bears are in Indianapolis this weekend as the team will play the Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 of the NFL Pre-Season.

The Bears opened the Pre-Season last weekend and it was a perfect outing for starting quarterback Justin Fields. Fields completed all three of his passes while totaling 129 passing yards and 2 touchdowns.

As the Bears conducted joint practices with the Colts this past week, the hope was for Fields to see an extended drive on offense to get more of an assessment of where the starting quarterback stands as he enters his second season in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s system.

The Bears must have gotten that assessment of Fields during practices with the Colts this past week.

Is Justin Fields starting Week 2 of the Chicago Bears Pre-Season?

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters on Thursday night that Fields will not play in Saturday night’s game against the Colts. The reasoning is that the two practices that the Bears had against the Colts served as a de facto Pre-Season game for the Bears’ starting players.

No one should take issue with Fields not starting on Saturday night as there was more value in the team having been able to script series against the Colts in a controlled environment such as practice instead of risking the chance of an injury during a game.

With Fields out, it would also seem likely that the first-team offense including wide receiver Darnell Mooney, runnings back D’Onta Foreman and Khalil Herbert, and tight end Cole Kmet likely will be on the sidelines for Saturday’s game as well.

Not to mention, this will now give an extended window for PJ Walker to firmly cement himself as the team’s backup quarterback. Walker struggled last week against the Titans and that has led to questions of whether or not the Bears may look toward the waiver wire at the end of Pre-Season for a better option.