Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has a good reason for opting not to shut down Justin Fields in their remaining regular season games despite the fact that they are both meaningless now with the team's playoff hopes gone.

With the Bears out of playoffs contention, many expected Fields to sit out the remainder of the campaign. After all, he has nothing left to prove after a breakout season, and playing him is just risking his health. Not to mention that Fields is coming off an injury after he was stepped on by Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano during their Week 16 meeting.

Granted that Fields is in “good health,” but is there really a reason to let him suit up despite having nothing to play for? Apparently, there is, with Eberfulus noting that they have “absolutely not” discussed shutting down Fields “because we have to get better.”

With the Bears at 3-12 on the season and guaranteed to finish off worse than they did last year (6-11), it's easy to seen where Matt Eberflus is coming from. The more Justin Fields and his teammates can play competitive football, the better it is for their respective developments.

Of course the concerns of fans are also understandable. Fields is coming off a season where he has thrown for over 2,000 yards and made 15-plus touchdowns, and one could argue it won't make much difference for next season should he opt to sit out their final two games.

Hopefully, though, Fields avoids any significant injury should he end up really playing in Weeks 17 and 18.