Grading Justin Fields, offense, defense in win vs. Lions

Schrock’s Bears Report Card: Grading Justin Fields, offense, defense in win vs. Lions originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

CHICAGO — The Bears won’t call Sunday’s 28-13 victory over the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field a statement win, but it was undoubtedly the most impressive of the Matt Eberflus era.

The Bears outplayed the Lions three weeks ago in Detroit. They had a 12-point lead with four minutes to play and blew it. They entered the fourth quarter of last year’s home game against the Lions up 14. They lost that one as well.

The Bears jumped out to an early 10-0 lead Sunday before a failed fourth-and-1 pitch to DJ Moore swung the momentum back in the Lions’ favor. Detroit scored 13 unanswered to take a 13-10 lead into halftime.

In the past, the Bears would have been unable to regain the momentum, and things would have snowballed.

Sunday was different.

The Bears’ defense put the screws to the Lions’ offense, holding them to 76 yards in the second half while forcing three turnovers.

Quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears’ offense broke a 13-13 tie with a 38-yard, free-play touchdown strike to Moore, giving the Bears a 19-13 lead that they never relinquished. Fields added an 11-yard touchdown run later in the second half to put the Bears up 12. That was all she wrote.

Sunday was the first time the Bears have won back-to-back games in the Eberflus era. It was a win that highlighted continued defensive growth and a quarterback playing his best football since returning from a thumb injury.

That’s where this statement-win report card leads off:

Passing offense

The passing game might as well have been going in reverse in the first half.

At halftime, Fields had 52 net passing yards, four completions, and had been sacked three times on 14 dropbacks.

But Fields found something in the second half. He made several anticipatory throws, including a critical third-down conversion to tight end Cole Kmet. Linebacker Alex Anzalone blanketed Kmet, but Fields threw it before the tight…

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Author : NBC Sports Chicago

Publish date : 2023-12-11 01:01:54

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