Bears QB Justin Fields worlds better in last 17 starts than first 17

Justin Fields was ready to take the field with about two minutes to play and the Bears down by one last month in Minneapolis when quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko pulled him aside.

“Hey, let’s go win the game,” he said.

Fields, who had fumbled twice in the fourth quarter, concurred.

“Bet,” Fields said.

His Gen. Z slang word of agreement fits what Fields is facing perfectly. In the final four games, starting Sunday in Cleveland, he needs to give the Bears a reason to bet on him in the future.

He’s moving in the right direction, but it would take a leap for him to get where the Bears want him to be by the end of the season.

Fields rallied the Bears to a 12-10 win against the Vikings and then walloped the Lions by 15. In the last two weeks, he’s increased his number of career wins by 33% and division wins by 200%. Sunday, he returns to the scene of his worst career game — two years ago in Cleveland, in his first career start, he was sacked nine times and finished with 1 net passing yard.

That was a different Fields, though. That’s what he says — and the numbers support it.

Fields has started exactly 34 games in his career — the equivalent of two full 17-game seasons.

In his first 17 starts, he was one of the worst passing quarterbacks in the game, totaling a 75.1 passer rating, 12 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

The last 17 starts have been much more productive. He has a 92.3 passer rating, 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s averaged only 176.7 passing yards during that span, though, about 10 more than in his first 17 games.

He’s not in rarified air on passing downs — 21 other active quarterbacks had a better passer rating in their second batch of 17 career starts — but his running is unmatched. His last 17 starts have produced 1,237 rushing yards, which would be the single-season record for all quarterbacks were it in one season, and eight rushing touchdowns. No quarterback in the Super Bowl era has run for more yards in career starts 18-34 than Fields.

He’s starting to pass the eye test, too. He’s gone 93 passes without an interception for the first time in his career, which is critical when playing under a head coach who emphasizes turnover margin the way Matt Eberflus does.

“The No. 1 priority on offense is taking care of the ball,” Fields said. “Because we know if we don’t do that, we don’t have a chance to score. That’s the No. 1 rule on offense, is making sure ball security is at a premium.”

He looks more comfortable in the pocket, scanning downfield even as he threatens to scramble.

“The overall innate feel, the innate presence within the pocket, how to remain a passer as long as possible without taking his stinger away …” Janocko said. “You have something the does better than anybody else in the world is what he does when things go break down.”

Will it be enough? Fields is fighting an uphill battle to be the Bears’ quarterback in 2024. The Bears are on pace to draft No. 1 overall, where USC’s Caleb Williams is considered a likely star.

Fields has heard the chatter. There’s no indication it’s distracting him.

Janocko said he’s in awe of Fields’ thick skin.

“It doesn’t really faze him,” Janocko said. “You can say that about, really, any of us in the building … There’s a lot of football to be played. It doesn’t really matter, the outside speculation right now. With anything.”

The futures of both Eberflus — who has the worst winning percentage in Bears history — and Fields are in question in the season’s home stretch. If the Bears win another game, those rumblings could die down — at least until three weeks from Monday.

“No matter what’s being talked about,” Janocko said, “if we go and find a way this week, everything takes care of itself.”