Chicago Bears star and quarterback Justin Fields spoke to the media after the upset win to the Detroit Lions Sunday afternoon, showing some humbleness as he felt there could have been aspects done more efficiently. Despite the victory, 28-13, Fields said in his post-game press conference that there were plays left on the table according to Jason Lieser of The Chicago Sun-Times.
“There were a few throws I missed,” Fields said. “There were multiple plays during the game where we could have executed better. . . . The third downs and just the throws downfield, of course — there were a couple that I wanted back. But we won the game, and [there’s] still room to get better, so that’s just the hope for the future.”
In the game, Fields threw for 233 yards and a touchdown pass to go along with a score on the ground and 58 rushing yards. The touchdown throw came with under two minutes left to go as it was 4th and 13. On the gutsy call, Fields used his cadence to make the Lions jump to force a free play and found wide receiver D.J. Moore for the 38-yard touchdown to break the tie at 13 a piece.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus spoke after the game about it and had the simple answer in how the Bears executed that play, saying “It's Justin.” He credited his quarterback by saying he's done an exceptional job of using his cadence and the hard count to get the job done.
“It's Justin,” Eberflus said. “It's the hard count. He did a really good job of hard counting and just a really good job there, and they got them to jump. His use of cadence. That's what it was.”
Fields talks about the big touchdown throw to D.J. Moore on fourth down
However, it wasn't a spur of the moment thought from Fields and the offense to do the play as it apparently was practiced throughout the season. Fields said that several times a week, the Bears practice that type of play and fortunately it became a big moment for the team Sunday.
“I mean, it's not a challenge because we practice it multiple times a week. We're used to it. Might have happened like three times this week during practice and walk-throughs,” Fields said per The Chicago Sun Times. “Like I said, we practice it, it happens every week, and the guys are ready for it, and we executed it. It ended up being a big play.”
Fields reveals thought process on rushing score
On the running touchdown in the fourth quarter, Fields expressed his thought process during the play to the media post-game. He said that the intention was to look for Moore, but when he saw all the “green grass,” he knew he had to scramble to get the big play as it ended up paying off.
“I mean, when I kind of stepped to the right a little bit,” Fields said. “I really just saw green grass. I'm looking for DJ to throw because he was one-on-one in kind of the back corner, but then I looked down and saw green grass right there, so just ran.”
As Fields missed time due to a right thumb injury, his 2023 has looked unusual as he has thrown for 1,810 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions. On the ground, he's rushed for 458 yards to go along with two scores.
Moore with some praise for the Bears QB
Moore had some praise for the 24-year old signal-caller out of Ohio State who said is getting better as the season goes on. For the play-making wide-out out of the University of Maryland, he has 1,071 receiving yards on 76 receptions to go with his seven touchdown catches on the season.
“He’s still growing and getting better every week,” Moore said. “These last four games, you might see something spectacular out of him.”
With the win, it puts Chicago's record at 5-8 as they are still last in the NFC North. However, they are on a two-game winning streak after also beating another divisional rival in the Minnesota Vikings. While Fields is not 100 percent satisfied with the way the Bears played to beat the Lions, he has the mentality of a “win is a win” and that there is always “room to get better.”
“But end all, we won the game, and still room to get better, so that's just the hope for the future,” Fields said.
Chicago now has their eyes set on the Cleveland Browns, who just beat the Jacksonville Jaguars, for next week's matchup on Sunday. Dec. 17. If they want to win three straight, there's no doubt they need another solid performance from Fields and the rest of the Bears team.
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