Justin Fields struggles again in Bears’ 20-12 loss to Giants

With rare exception, Justin Fields’ passing attack remained irrelevant in the Bears’ loss Sunday. Fields finished 11-for-22 for 174 yards — a season high by his limbo-low standards — and a 76.7 passer rating.

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Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is sacked by the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence during the second quarter Sunday.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields is sacked by the Giants’ Dexter Lawrence during the second quarter Sunday.

Seth Wenig/AP

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — With both of their quarterbacks injured, the Giants returned starter Daniel Jones to the field halfway through the fourth quarter. For three consecutive plays, the Giants lined him up at receiver and let star running back Saquon Barkley take direct snaps out of the shotgun.

Their coaches were seemingly thumbing their noses at football convention, as if to say, “Who needs a quarterback?”

The Bears have been saying that, it seems, for four weeks now. 

With rare exception, Justin Fields’ passing attack remained irrelevant in the Bears’ 20-12 loss Sunday. Fields was 11-for-22 for 174 yards — a season high by his limbo-low standards — and a 76.7 passer rating. 

The Bears came to MetLife Stadium riding a broken tricycle of an offense. They left with it only slightly improved — new fringe on the handlebars, maybe — and with a rate of progress that wouldn’t produce real results if the season lasted 100 games.

Fields claimed the Bears’ passing game “definitely” improved. To see that, you really have to want to see it.

The list of what’s wrong with the passing offense is longer than what’s right. But it starts with the quarterback.

“We just need everybody to do their job,” Fields said. “Blocking, me making the right protection calls, routes at the right depth, everything.”

The only notable improvement came on the Bears’ third pass play. Fields threw a gorgeous deep ball to wide receiver Darnell Mooney, who dived and caught the 56-yard pass with cornerback Adoree’ Jackson draped over him, more than doubling his season receiving-yards total in one play.  

“I love the way he was throwing the ball down the field,” coach Matt Eberflus said. “That’s going to open up so many more things for us.”

But it didn’t. Against a blitz-happy Giants defense, the Bears rarely gave Fields a chance to go deep again.

After the completion to Mooney, Fields went 9-for-19 for 100 yards and a 64.5 passer rating. Take away Mooney’s catch, and Fields didn’t throw a pass more than 22 yards in the air. Seven of his 11 completions came within six yards of the line of scrimmage; four were at the line or behind it. 

That makes chasing points difficult. The Bears were within eight points or fewer the entire second half — and managed one first down in their last five possessions. Four of those drives featured three plays, and the fifth had four. The Bears averaged 2.2 yards per play on those drives. 

“Last week, I was frustrated on understanding where we could be at as an offense, understanding players and plays that we have,” Mooney said. “It’s just like, ‘Come on, let’s get this together.’

“I understand that it’s a process. I understand that . . . the playbook’s new, but it’s just so fun to be in the offense with the guys. Understanding what we can be — and I want to be there right now.”

It’s not there. You can’t even see there from here. 

Fields was sacked six times. The most costly one came with about 10 minutes left in the first half when Fields was hit by defensive end Azeez Ojulari as he threw. 

The ball fluttered forward and to the ground in front of left guard Cody Whitehair and other Bears. Thinking it was incomplete, none of them thought to dive for it, a violation of the H.I.T.S. principle for which Eberflus so stridently stands. Giants rookie edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux did dive for it, giving the Giants the ball. Jones marched them for a 75-yard touchdown drive, capping it with his second rushing score of the game.

Eberflus said he’d have to look at the film before publicly commenting on his players’ hustle — or lack thereof — but Fields said the obvious.

“I think it’s just a lesson for the O-line,” he said. “If you don’t hear a whistle blow, you don’t know if it’s incomplete.”

Fields was battered, though he said afterward his body felt “way better than last week.” All but one of his seven runs — which gained 52 yards — were scrambles. Two of his sacks came at the line of scrimmage when he tried to run.  

“He’s not looking for any sympathy or empathy,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “His toughness, a lot of us feed off that. That’s part of the culture of this football team.”

The forward pass sure isn’t.

“We need to get this passing attack going; we really do,” Kmet said.

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