The Chicago Bears faced a lot of ridicule after the franchise traded up for the second time in four years to draft quarterback Justin Fields. And the doubters didn’t quiet down after Fields’ rookie season when the NFC North QB completed just 58.9% of his passes and threw 10 interceptions to seven touchdowns. But despite all that — and in spite of the fact new Bears general manager Ryan Poles did almost nothing to help him this offseason — Fields is starting to flourish during the 2022 Bears season.
Through 10 games, which is the same number of games he started last year, Fields is 3-7. That’s only one game ahead of last year’s 2-8 mark, but it’s his performances that are impressing even the skeptics. Fields has won games against good teams and his losses are mostly by slim margins. In the last several weeks of the 2022 Bears season, he’s absolutely looked like the Bears QB of the future.
And as the QB of the future for the Bears right now, that also makes him the future of the NFC North. Here is why.
3. Fields has improved in leaps and bounds the last few weeks
From Week 7 on, Justin Fields has looked like a future NFL star. Starting by beating the New England Patriots on a Monday night, Fields has led the Bears offense to new heights. In the last four games, the team's points per game have doubled, from 15.5 in the first six to 31 in the last four.
That’s because of Justin Fields’ improvement under center.
In these last four games, Fields hasn’t gone under 60% completions, while in the first six, he only crested that mark twice. He’s also upped his running quite a bit. In the first six, he went over 60 yards once. In the last four, he’s hit that mark every time, and in the last two games, Fields has rushed for a combined 325 yards.
All this goes to show that Fields is starting to figure out the NFL game. The wins aren’t following that closely, as Chicago has dropped three straight, but that’s on the rest of the team, not the ever-improving Fields.
2. The Bears QB’s style is where the NFL is heading
Justin Fields’ improvement has coincided with first-year head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy taking the shackles of the uber-athletic QB from a running perspective.
In Weeks 2-5 of the 2022 Bears season, Fields has single-digit rushing attempts in each game. Since then, he’s only had one additional game with less than 10 runs. This means the Bears coaching staff is finally figuring out how to best use Fields, as he has the skill set of a perfect modern NFL QB.
In 2022, NFL teams are realizing that mobile quarterbacks are worth their weight in gold. Analytics show that it is better to have a mobile QB who can squirm out of a 10-yard sack and make that a no-gain than a more capable passer who moves the sticks but takes that drive-killing sack.
The reason that Justin Fields is the future of the NFC North is because no other team in the division has this.
Aaron Rodgers is 38, and while he used to be the type of quarterback whose legs could get him out of trouble, he’s not anymore. Kirk Cousins never was that guy, and Jared Goff isn’t a guy in the NFL, period.
This dovetails nicely with our last reason that Justin Fields is the future of the NFC North, and that’s because he’s the only current quarterback who will be around in the future.
1. Fields is the only NFC North QB who will be in the division in three years
The NFC North quarterback landscape isn’t very promising for the teams in the division’s long-term future. The Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers, as noted above, is 38 years old. The Minnesota Vikings’ Kirk Cousins is a sneak-old 34, and the Detroit Lions’ Jarred Goff is only 28, but he’s no one’s idea of a long-term solution at QB.
That leaves the Bears’ Justin Fields as the guy in the division moving forward.
This will change over time. As early as next season, Rodgers could be gone, and Jordan Love could be in his place. Similarly, there is an almost 100% chance that the Lions will take a QB in the 2023 NFL Draft, which means even if Goff is on the roster next season, he’s not the guy moving forward.
As for Cousins, he likely has three years or so left in him. But do we really think in five years a 39-year-old Cousins will still be leading the Vikings?
By process of elimination, Justin Fields is the future of the NFC North. But beyond that, with his style and his rapid improvement during the 2022 Bears season, Chicago has to be incredibly happy with what’s to come.
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