Chicago Bears’ rookie Justin Fields will have his first NFL starting appearance this Sunday, taking over due to Andy Dalton’s knee injury, as confirmed by head coach Matt Nagy. Fields completed 6 out of 13 passes for 60 yards, including one interception. He carried the ball 10 times for 31 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Justin and our entire coaching staff to see his progress and where he can take us,” Nagy said of Fields’ first starting opportunity.
Chicago Bears Optimistic about Fields
Nick Foles a former Super Bowl-winning quarterback will be backing up Fields this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Fields has been optimistic and is looking forward to the opportunity to start. Many believed he deserved to be the starter coming out of the draft as they drafted him 15th overall.
“I’ve been preparing for this moment for a while,” Fields said. “My mindset remains the same. I’ll continue playing my game, preparing as best as I can. I’ll get plenty of practice reps, study diligently, and work towards becoming more comfortable and confident with the plays.”
Unfortunately, Dalton suffered a knee injury against the Bengals this past weekend. He landed awkwardly on the Chicago bench after a scramble. His knee appeared to buckle, and he immediately pointed in Fields direction to take over the game. They proceeded to head back to the tent to be looked over by the Bear’s staff. He seemed to bounce back as he reentered the game on the series right before halftime. Later, he was eventually ruled out and didn’t appear for the remainder of the game.
Nagy emphasized once healthy Dalton will regain the starter status. He didn’t go into too much detail but he did say Dalton was week-to-week and that he would be placed on the injured reserve (IR).
“Andy is still battling through his injury,” Nagy said. “As I said to you the other day, we’re glad that it’s not his ACL. We’re not expecting him to practice today or to have him available this week, so he’ll be week-to-week.”
