Justin Fields runs against the 49ers. | Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Fields’ innate sense for running the football — whether on planned runs, scrambles or part of naked bootlegs — marked nothing short of a breakthrough against the 49ers.
When Justin Fields rolled left, kicked out his left leg to even his balance and threw an 8-yard touchdown to tight end Jesse James against the 49ers, he looked like a shortstop turning a double play.
There’s a reason for that: Fields was a star shortstop growing up. Not that the rookie could describe the full-speed contortion, or why he used his leg as a ballast.
“I just kinda go out there and do it,” he said. “I’m just going to feel how my body moves …. I just kinda get a feel for it and get that rhythm for it.”
Fields’ innate sense for running the football — whether on planned runs, scrambles or part of naked bootlegs — marked nothing short of a breakthrough last week.
He went 4-for-4 for 40 yards on planned rollouts, including the touchdown pass. All but 14 of his career-high 103 rushing yards were improvised on scrambles, including his 22-yard highlight-reel touchdown run that, per NFL Next Gen Stats, had a 2.3 percent chance of scoring. On a different run, 15-yard third-quarter scramble, Fields ran 20.03 miles per hour for the third time this season –more than any NFL quarterback.
When he ran, Fields was nothing short of breathtaking. But the Bears have to hold their collective breaths, too. Every time Fields run, planned or not, he’s taking a risk. The stakes couldn’t be higher: the only thing worse than a 3-5 season is having to play the rest of it with a promising rookie quarterback on injured reserve.
If Fields runs as frequently Monday night against the Steelers than he did against the 49ers, the Bears will be clear-eyed about what could go right — and wrong.
“We just have to keep finding that balance of how much you want your NFL quarterback to get hit,” offensive coordinator Bill Lazor said. “Because it’s rare that they don’t get hit at some point in the passing game … So then when you choose to give him some run options, you just take that chance.
“So we have to balance that. And some of that is dictated by the defense.”
When the Bears ran read-option run concepts — when Fields could either hand the ball off or fake a handoff and keep it, depending on how hard the defensive end crashed down — the 49ers chose to crash. The Bears were surprised; previous opponents had kept Fields honest.
The Steelers will have a similar choice to make. David Montgomery, who figures to return from a sprained left knee Monday and be the Bears’ lead running back, will make the decision even more complicated.
“Quarterback mobility is a component of play — something that you don’t deal with every week, something that we better be ready to deal with this week … ” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said last week. “Last week was [Fields’] first 100-yard game. I imagine he’s gaining a sense of comfort of when to utilize those skills and when it’s most appropriate and how to take advantage of his talents with each passing week. That has our attention.”
And the attention of Fields’ own teammates.
“He can make every throw — and, obviously, his legs,” safety Tashaun Gipson said. “I think that you can’t really put him in a box, man. Because he can be a running quarterback or he can dice you up with his arm. That’s the beautiful part of having a quarterback like that. Defenses can never get comfortable. … it’s exciting to watch from the sideline. You see his growth each week. He’s just comfortable. He’s getting more and more comfortable. You can see it on the practice field. You can just see it, man.”