Justin Fields’ Time Has Come And Andy Dalton’s Has Just Ended
Fireworks are blasted. Screams filled with ecstasy echo. Beers are poured. This is exactly what the city of Chicago looked like this week. Did we actually win anything? Well, no. However, it was announced that Justin Fields will make his debut as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. In my book, that grants a celebration. The Bears franchise finally has a quarterback who doesn’t make them want to root against their own team. The days of playing with no real franchise quarterback seem behind us. The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Justin Fields. QB1. (In fantasy too!)
There was a great deal of speculation on when would Justin Fields start. Week 1? Week 4? Or would Nagy try and replicate Patrick Mahomes’ situation where he would sit the whole year behind the Red Rifle, Andy Dalton and try to learn? In the end, it wasn’t Nagy’s choice. Although it is unfortunate it happened in the form of a Dalton injury, it may just be destiny that ensured it wouldn’t be long before we see Fields on the…field.
His snaps in the second half of last week’s game were nothing to be excited about, including a horrendous interception that almost cost the Bears the game, however, I can’t wait to see what he brings this week. Now do I expect a mind-blowing performance out of Justin Fields in his first ever NFL start against one of the best teams in the NFL? No. I may be a wishful Bears fan but reality checks do hit us once in a while.
What I do expect is Fields to make something out of nothing on a handful of plays, something Andy Dalton rarely did. Furthermore, the Browns may have made a handful of big signings on the defensive side of the ball, but their unit has been below average through the first two games. Fields will have his fair share of mistakes but expect to see some moments that will make your jaw drop.
Sometimes if it’s meant to be, it’ll be. That seems like the case with Justin Fields. With a more season-long approach, I honestly think there’s no way Matt Nagy will be able to bench Justin Fields after he gets this chance even once Andy Dalton returns. This situation has Colin Kaepernick or Justin Hebert written all over it so I hope Dalton stans enjoyed the 6 quarters they got to watch but this is Justin Field’s team now. And for the rest of the season.
