Justin Fields on his epic play: "I don't care about breaking records, I just want to win" |
The Bears lost a close one Sunday against the division-rival Detroit Lions.
Despite the loss, Justin Fields continues to break records after rushing for 147 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his 167 passing yards for two touchdowns. He not only has garnered the most rushing yards by a quarterback through a five-game span in the Super Bowl era with 555 yards with an average of 111 per game. He is also tied with the Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as the only quarterbacks since the merger in 1970 with 50+ rushing yards and a touchdown in four straight games. When asked about these records, in addition to his record-setting 178 rushing yards last week against the Dolphins, Fields kept it pretty simple. “I don’t care about breaking records, I just want to win games.” Is @justnfields the best QB from the 2021 NFL Draft? ?? pic.twitter.com/aZnTgLuj8T
Fields emphasized continuing to improve and grow in his postgame interview following the loss to the Lions, particularly with getting the Bears’ new playmaker, third-year receiver Chase Claypool, more involved. “It’s just going to take time,” Field said. “I don’t think anyone is expecting (Claypool) to just start having 100-yard games. It just doesn’t work like that. It’s just getting on the same page, me knowing him, him knowing me, and just working together.” While Claypool is not having a direct impact on the Bears’ offensive productivity so far, his arrival seems to have brought a new energy to the team’s offense, particularly for tight end Cole Kmet. The Bears are averaging 31 points per game since Claypool’s arrival, and Kmet has four touchdowns when he only had one touchdown prior to Claypool coming. Fields argues that the Bears always knew about Kmet’s physical capabilities, but he is now growing mentally as a player. “I think in the mental part of the game, (Kmet’s) growing in that,” Fields said. “Him, just getting better and improving every week, that’s going to help our offense even more. I’m just happy to see his growth, his potential, and what he can bring for our offense.” The third-year tight end has certainly improved well over the past few games. As previously mentioned, he has had four touchdowns over the past two games. The game against Detroit also marks his fourth game in a row with multiple receptions. Kmet, who is usually at his best in October and December, is having himself quite the November thus far. However, this doesn’t quite reflect how the Bears’ passing offense is looking. Right now, the Bears are still sitting last in the NFL in passing offense, this does not seem to be a problem for their productivity as the Bears are also sitting at No. 20 in scoring offense and have retained their spot as first in the NFL for rushing offense, now averaging 201.7 yards per game. This is due to Fields, who is No. 5 overall in the NFL for rushing yards. New York Giants running back Saquan Barkley is first with 931 yards compared to Fields’ 749 rushing yards. The rushing game is something to lean on going forward, as the Bears will face the Atlanta Falcons, who are No. 19 in rushing defense, in their next game this coming Sunday (noon/FOX). The Falcons are coming off a Thursday night loss to the Carolina Panthers, 25-15, where they allowed 232 rushing yards. A win against the Falcons will perhaps enable the Bears to gain some ground for a potential wild-card spot in the NFC.
