Justin Fields' Protection Has Been Worse Than You Think

Justin Fields' numbers through his first two preseason games aren't overly bad. Nobody would call them great either. He's 23-of-39 for 222 yards and a touchdown. Good for a passer rating just under 80. He also has 79 yards rushing and a score. So he's been fine. Yet those numbers don't nearly tell the full story of Fields. If one were to watch the tape? They'd realize his teammates have basically hung him out to dry. Start with the wide receivers and tight ends. Conservatively, they've dropped five of his passes between those two games. This isn't counting a handful of other good throws they should've grabbed as well. A quarterback is only as good as the guys he is throwing to. The same goes for his protection. Needless to say, the 11th overall pick has been saddled with poor blocking since the preseason began. How bad has it been?

Let Pro Football Focus paint the picture.

"Through two weeks of the preseason, Fields has been pressured at a higher rate than any other quarterback (49%). And the blame isn't squarely on the rookie's shoulders, as his offensive line has done little to protect him so far. Chicago has been left with a mix of Lachavious Simmons, Elijah Wilkinson, Larry Borom and a 39-year-old Jason Peters to man the two starting tackle spots after losing rookie Teven Jenkins to injury. Simmons, Wilkinson and Borom played this past weekend when Fields was moved off his spot by the opposing pass rush on 16 of his 25 dropbacks. The three linemen were responsible for 20 total pass-block losses and a couple of sacks allowed."

Even coming into training camp back in July people had reservations about the Bears' depth along the offensive line. Especially at tackle. Outside of Borom, everybody else has looked like an outright liability. Interior blocking has looked a bit better but not by much. Fields has managed to help people overlook the problem thanks to his outstanding athleticism as a runner. If he were less mobile? It might've been a massacre. Mercifully, the unit has finally started to get some help. The arrival of Peters and the return of Germain Ifedi from the PUP list should bolster the tackle spots. James Daniels is also back from his quad injury as well. While nobody can say this will make the line suddenly great, it might at least make it functional. Fields is slated to start this Saturday in Nashville against the Titans. He should get a number of starters protecting him this time. [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Justin-Fields-Every-Play-vs.-Bills-Preseason-Week-2.mp4"][/video]

Justin Fields should finally have a real chance to show his stuff

He may still end up throwing to backup receivers and tight ends, but having decent protection should enable him to function better from the pocket. It was so obvious last week that he didn't trust his line towards the end of the game. That is why he was quick to abandon the pocket at times. Nobody could blame him. Guys were in his face way too often. It is hard to play at a high level under those conditions. If nothing else, it might be the last chance Bears fans get to see Justin Fields play for a while. Head coach Matt Nagy remains set on his course to start Andy Dalton this season. The goal remains the same. Buy as much time as possible for the rookie to sit and learn the offense. However, the door was left open. If only a little. Nagy did say things could change if the 33-year ends up struggling.

Given the early schedule?

That feels like a distinct possibility. Many are already targeting Week 4 against the Detroit Lions as the game to watch for Fields' possible debut. Dalton remains confident that he can win Bears fans over this season. He's under a ton of pressure to do so. Every mistake he makes will be magnified. Especially if the Bears get off to a bad start.