And, over what else? Obviously, it’s the quarterback position.
In the Bears’ 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, we saw starting quarterback Andy Dalton leave with an apparent knee injury. Dalton attempted to come back, but was seen limping a bit and eventually sat out the remainder of the game. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields took over, and from that point on, there should be no looking back.
Regardless of any growing pains or criticism we could provide for Fields’ performance, the one thing that stuck out was the same thing we’ve seen for the past month: Fields gives the Bears the best chance to win. But, does Matt Nagy realize this yet?
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has a pivotal week ahead for he and his quarterbacks.
Following the game, Nagy was of course asked about his plan for the quarterback position next week. To nobody’s surprise, Nagy avoided the question.
Matt Nagy when asked if Andy Dalton is still the starter if he’s healthy:
“I’m not going to get into any of that.”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) September 19, 2021
On one hand, it was a little surprising not to hear Nagy’s full support of the veteran. To this point, it’s been emphatic. Dalton has been Nagy’s starter, period. But now, the starting position is well up for debate.
Fields did have a couple of tough snaps, including two false starts. However, the pair of flags can be attributed to a lack of first team snaps. He’ll get his cadence down this week in practice.
As for the positives, Fields had a few dime balls to his top receivers. Two of his three best throws went without a catch, too, which the box score won’t tell you. A deep throw to Allen Robinson should have been a touchdown, but went right through his hands. Another big play could have been made by Darnell Mooney, but he dropped that one as well.
Late in the game, Fields made a crucial first down effort which essentially sealed the game, and he made it with his legs. If we rewind to the Bears’ first possession under Dalton in this game, the veteran was under pressure and chose immediately to throw the ball away. This was a scenario where, if Fields was the quarterback, he could have easily scrambled out of the single pass rusher’s grasp.
The differences between the two quarterbacks have been crystal clear for some time now, and it’s about time for Nagy to realize that he only has one correct decision to make this week.