Justin Fields Made Surprising Admission About His Week 1 Dud

It was supposed to be a new day for the Chicago Bears. Instead, it felt all too familiar. Green Bay dominated the trenches, their quarterback had no issues doing whatever he wanted and ran away with it in the second half. It's been this way for the Bears for years. They've lost seven straight to the Packers now. Worst of all, Justin Fields looked no different from the player who finished the 2022 season. He still couldn't read coverages fast enough, held the ball too long, and made some ugly mistakes in key situations.

The biggest topic of conversation was how gunshy he seemed. Fields rarely attacked as a passer during the game, often settling for checkdowns despite clear evidence that his receivers were open further down the field. Rather than make excuses, though, Fields admitted on Wednesday that he felt the same after the game. He even talked with Luke Getsy and Matt Eberflus about it.

“I felt like I was a little bit too conservative at times during the game,” he said. “Definitely with guys like DJ [Moore] and Chase [Claypool] on the outside, if we do have one-on-one on the outside, potentially throwing it up and seeing what happens. With them, they’re great playmakers and they can most likely come up with a 50-50 ball. Definitely want to give them more chances deep down the field.”

It's at least nice to hear it from Fields himself. He's not in denial about what happened. That goes back to one positive trait about the quarterback. He's his own worst critic.

Justin Fields faces maybe the most pivotal game of his career.

That may sound ridiculous since it's only Week 2. Yet the way things are trending doesn't bode well for him. Fans are starting to get frustrated with his inconsistency. The team spent tons of resources to improve the personnel around him. It's the second year in the same offense. It isn't unreasonable to expect improvement. He is now 0-5 against the Packers and has lost his last nine straight starts. At some point, people will stop making excuses for him. He needs this game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It seems rather fitting. One of the worst performances of his career came against them two years ago. Justin Fields threw for only 184 yards with three interceptions and three fumbles in a 38-3 beatdown. They sacked him four times and hit him six others. It is safe to say Todd Bowles will be sending the house at him again this weekend. If Fields crumbles like he did back then, he could lose the fading support he has left.

On the flip side, a rebound performance, along with a victory, might calm the waters enough to get the wolves off his back. GM Ryan Poles said he wants players on his team that are resilient. This is easily Fields' biggest test to date.