Justin Fields embraces rivalry: ‘It means a lot to us’

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has intentionally tried to not hype up Sunday’s game against the rival Packers. Quarterback Justin Fields, though, said the obvious: it’s no ordinary game.

“It means a lot,” Fields said Wednesday. “Of course I wanna win every game that I play. But it’s just the tradition with this rivalry, it means a lot to us as a team, to the fan base, to the people upstairs.”

In two games against the Packers last season, Fields went 34-for-60 for 398 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked six times. Fields ran 15 times for 117 yards.

The Bears lost the two games by a combined 25 points. They fell by 15 at a raucous Lambeau Field on Dec. 12.

“Just the atmosphere, the environment, it was awesome ...” Fields said. “Of course it’s going to be loud there.”

Eberflus has been trying to downplay the rivalry — at least publicly. Wednesday, he said that the Packers never came up during his job interview with the McCaskeys.