The Chicago Bears were eliminated from playoff contention at the end of Week 17 with the Packers blowout win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night, despite winning their game against the Atlanta Falcons. Despite being out of the playoff race, Chicago will have several significant reasons for wanting to win on Sunday against Green Bay, as with a win, the Bears can eliminate their hated rivals from making it to the NFC Playoffs while also winning their first game in Lambeau Field since 2015. Quarterback Justin Fields also needs a win and a positive performance to further solidify keeping him for the 2024 season, as he has done neither in his two previous starts there.
Fields Has Struggled Significantly When Playing at Green Bay
Since entering the league in 2020, the Packers are the one divisional rival that Fields has played the most against in his three seasons. In 2021, the rookie passer missed the Bears' Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions and the season finale against the Vikings in Minnesota. Last season, head coach Matt Eberflus decided to sit Fields for the team's final game of the year against the Vikings as Chicago was attempting to secure the first overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
In the five games Fields has played against the Packers, the Bears have lost all five contests and have gotten beat by nine points or more each time. Chicago's third-year quarterback has started each game and has thrown four touchdowns to seven interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. Fields has yet to throw for more than 300 yards or three touchdowns against any divisional opponent, including the Packers.
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Adding further cause for concern, Green Bay appears to be the team that gives Fields the most trouble within the division, as he has led the Bears to victories against the Lions and Vikings. Even in losses to Minnesota and Detroit, Chicago's young quarterback has had an opportunity to lead his offense to wins on the team's final possession of the game. Fields has been unable to make the games close against the Packers, as in all but one of his starts, the Bears trailed by ten points or more in the fourth quarter.
Although there is nothing to gain other than pride with a win over Green Bay on Sunday, a win to eliminate the Packers would be a tremendous boost to Fields' career and the possibility of him staying in Chicago after the 2023 season. If the quarterback can turn in a victory that features him throwing for over 200 yards with multiple passing touchdowns and no interceptions, it would tip the controversial debate in favor of keeping him for 2024.
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Winning in Green Bay to end the 2023 season would be a full-circle moment for Fields, given that the Packers beat the Bears 38-20 to begin the year at Soldier Field as the quarterback had a terrible day. Chicago's starter was sacked four times, intercepted once, and had a completion percentage of less than 65. One criticism of Fields for his poor opening-day start against the Packers was that he was unable to throw downfield and had no answer to combat the zone pass defense brought on by the rival opponent.
Fields Has A Chance To Set Himself Apart From Previous Bears' Quarterbacks
If Fields and the offense can help lead the Bears to a win in Green Bay, it will be the team's first win at Lambeau Field since 2015 and their win there in the past 15 years. Only Josh McCown and Jay Cutler have been the starting quarterbacks in the Bears' last two wins on the road against the Packers. Fields and the Bears winning on Sunday and knocking Green Bay out of making the playoffs would be one of the most memorable wins in recent history for the franchise.
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Fields would be the first Bears' first-round quarterback to win in Green Bay since Rex Grossman in 2006. In the four seasons that quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was with Chicago from 2017 to 2020, he only played in three road games against the Packers and lost all three games. Grossman is the only first-round quarterback for the Bears to win every game he started at Lambeau Field, as he led the offense to victory in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Additionally, no other Bears quarterback has had a truly dominant performance against the Packers, especially since the start of the millennium. Since 2000, the team has only had one quarterback throw for 300 yards or more, as it was Trubisky in 2019. There has been no Bears quarterback to throw for three or more touchdowns in a game.
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A 300-yard passing performance with two or more passing touchdowns would help set Fields apart from past Bears' quarterbacks and likely lead to him being kept for 2024. A win in a clutch situation, such as what Sunday's game will be, will be extremely important for ownership and general manager Ryan Poles, who will begin his work for the offseason immediately after the contest, win or lose by Chicago.
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