All I know is that whichever coach is in charge of making sure Fields remains safe needs to get a little better at that. He averaged a puny 5.6 yards per attempt, but that was much more a footnote than a story.Ĭoach Matt Nagy will tell you that offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is calling the plays now but that the Bears’ game plans are very much a collegial production. Those yards made life miserable for the Raiders and helped lead to a solid advantage in possession time for the Bears.įields completed 12 of 20 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.

He was able to get it because rookie Khalil Herbert and veteran Damien Williams, filling in for an injured David Montgomery, combined for 139 rushing yards. This can’t be overstated: Stop that, Bears.īut with Fields eventually walking away in one piece, the result and that message were all that mattered on this day.įields, who finally was handed the starting quarterback job midweek, got his second straight victory. He also had to leave the game briefly in the second quarter with a leg injury. There was a crushing first-quarter hit on Fields that brought a wince to him, to his team and to his many admirers in Chicago. It took awhile for the message to be delivered. The moral of the Bears’ 20-9 victory against the Raiders on Sunday is that just because you’re in Las Vegas doesn’t mean you should gamble with your future’s future. It might not be the most exciting approach, might not fulfill your deep desire to see the very athletic Fields do his thing, but it can lead to a victory and an upright, breathing, not-dribbling-down-his-chin rookie quarterback. Here’s a recipe for long-term success for the Bears: Play smothering defense, run the ball well, save Justin Fields’ life.

Chicago i am alive again