It was a great first game of the 2021 preseason for the Chicago Bears on Saturday as they beat the Miami Dolphins 20-13. Rookie quarterback Justin Fields was the star of the game as he completed 14 passes for 142 yards with a passing and rushing touchdown. Despite an initial slow start, Fields led the Bears offense on three consecutive scoring drives, as he displayed an underrated trait often seen from veteran quarterbacks.

Fields' Decision Making And Anticipation Was Extremely Impressive

When Fields came in to replace starting quarterback Andy Dalton midway through the first quarter, the rookie struggled as the offense did not pick up a first down until the final minute of the first half. The 11th overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft had the correct read early on but had several incompletions during his first few offensive drives. Fields finally began to find success during the Bears' final offensive drive in the first half with forty seconds to go. Chicago's rookie quarterback began with two consecutive check-down passes to rookie running back Khalil Herbert to set up a third down and three at the Bears' 42-yard line. Fields completed a 15-yard pass to Justin Hardy to move Chicago into Dolphins' territory, but it was the rookie's decision-making that stood out. The former Ohio State quarterback rolled to his right and had a choice of either running to pick up the first down or throwing it underneath to wide receiver Jon'Vea Johnson who was opened near the first down marker. Fields decided to wait and throw to the second level to Hardy, who came off his defender.

On the next play, with eight seconds left, the Bears called a high low where it appeared that they were going to attempt a Hail Mary pass to the end zone. Instead of throwing deep, Fields checked down to a wide-open Jesse James for a seven-yard completion to set up Cairo Santos for a field goal to end the first half. On back-to-back throws, the Bears' quarterback made bold and smart decisions to ensure points to end the half.

The decision-making and anticipation demonstrated by Fields show that he isn't processing the plays like a rookie but as a veteran. Having checked down to his running back on two consecutive plays, the rookie quarterback knew that Miami's defense was guarding against him going underneath on third and three. It was because of this that Fields was able to hold the ball a little longer and get it to Hardy in the second level. On the completion to James, the rookie knew that the defense was expecting him to throw deep to end the half but checked it down to James to ensure a better scoring opportunity.

The Decision Making By Fields Make His A Threat Has He Gains More Experience

As the game went on, Fields was beginning to give the Dolphins' defense trouble as he became more unpredictable with every play. The rookie quarterback began to use his mobility to his advantage as several completions were set up by a defender leaving his downfield assignment to come up in case the Bears' quarterback scrambled. Both touchdowns scored by Fields came because a Dolphins' defender got lost during the play.

On Fields' rushing touchdown, no Dolphin defender came up to the line of scrimmage when the quarterback rolled out, and by the time someone did come, Chicago's quarterback needed to make one move to get in the end zone. On the 30-yard touchdown pass to James on the following Bears' drive, the tight end was wide open because there was a complete breakdown in coverage by the Dolphins' defense. Fields rolled to his right to throwback to the left side of the football field. Miami's defense was so intent on limited the rookie from scrambling that head coach Matt Nagy called a pass play that went against the grain of the pass coverage.

The decision-making and unpredictability level of Fields is usually seen from a seasoned veteran quarterback and not by a rookie making his debut. Most rookie quarterbacks need to have plays called that build their confidence and require just one read. With Fields, he was reading the entire field and wasn't always looking for the easiest throw as soon as possible. Chicago's quarterback allowed the entire play to develop and took what the defense was leaving open, and as the game progressed, it created more issues for the Dolphins' defense. Fields' performance on Saturday is cause for high excitement as the rookie looks like he fully understood the offense, but what the opposing defense was trying to do to stop him. It takes young quarterbacks nearly two seasons to fully read and understand opposing defenses, but Chicago's rookie appears to be ahead of schedule. Fields will receive more playing time with the starters against the Buffalo Bills this Saturday, and he could become more dangerous working with the likes of Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney.