Bears name rookie QB Justin Fields permanent starter
Fields was initially forced into action due to a knee injury suffered by veteran starter Andy Dalton in Week 2, but the takeoff was a bit bumpy for the rookie. Fields struggled in his first NFL action, completing 6 of 13 passes for 60 yards and an interception, nearly allowing the Bengals to complete an unlikely comeback effort in Chicago's eventual 20-17 win over Cincinnati. The going got even tougher for Fields in his first career start a week later, with Chicago failing to protect the youngster and allowing him to be sacked nine times in a 26-6 loss to Cleveland.
In that game, Fields completed just 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards, finishing with exactly one net passing yard. But things turned toward the positive end of the spectrum in Week 4 against Detroit, enough that Nagy has seen enough -- or felt enough external pressure -- to officially begin the Fields era in Chicago, ending the Dalton bridge experiment after one month (and just a game and a half of action).
Fields will meet a test similar to the one he struggled through in Week 3 when his Bears face the Raiders -- owners of the league's second-highest QB pressure rate (trailing only the Browns) -- this weekend in Las Vegas. He'll spend the rest of the week with the knowledge that the job is his, and his journey is only just beginning.
