Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ first completion against the Lions was exactly what he had practiced — and what his coaches wanted.
He stepped up in the pocket, sprinted to his left, squared his hips like a second baseman turning a double play and, just as he was about to reach the line of scrimmage, sidearmed a fastball to receiver DJ Moore for 14 yards.
‘‘Put the ball right on the money,’’ Moore said. ‘‘That’s all she wrote.’’
Fields has been practicing different arm angles all season. His coaches have been encouraging him to keep his eyes downfield to look for completions even as he threatens to scramble. In one play, both things happened.
‘‘You’re seeing that growth,’’ quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko said. ‘‘That’s something you want to continue with.’’
The Bears need Fields to continue that growth Monday against the NFC North rival Vikings. Fields’ production is important, but he needs to show he can win. The crushing loss to the Lions proved the former means little without the latter.
‘‘For the most part, we showed who we were,’’ Fields said. ‘‘Except until the end of the game.’’
The end of the game, however, is whom the Bears are. Fields is 6-26 as the Bears’ starter. He has won one game in the last 13 months.
With six games left to prove to his bosses that he’s the quarterback of the future, Fields needs to be the reason the Bears win games. If he’s not, then the Bears figure to look elsewhere for their next quarterback — and maybe for their next coach.
Matt Eberflus’ fate remains tenuous entering the last game of November. The Bears’ second absurd come-from-ahead loss of the season lowered his winning percentage to .214, the worst in franchise history. To escape last place, he has to go 4-2 the rest of the season. Even that might not be enough to save his job.
The next NFC North game Eberflus wins will be his first; the next one Fields wins will be his first since Oct. 3, 2021.
The Bears can’t possibly claim progress without winning NFC North games. They can’t possibly believe things are pointed in the right direction so long as they sit on the same number of victories this season — three — as they had last season.
The fastest way to fix that is for Fields to step up when it matters most. Among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 10 passes in the fourth quarter this season, Fields ranks 40th in passer rating and 39th in yards per play in the quarter.
Whether it’s throwing a pick-six near his own end zone in Week 2 or being strip-sacked for a game-sealing safety last week, Fields hasn’t lifted the Bears when victories were on the line. Now is the time to start.
Statistically, Fields is on the best run of his career. In his last four games — including a stinker against the Vikings that he left in the third quarter after dislocating his right thumb — he has posted a passer rating of 116.5. By comparison, the 49ers’ Brock Purdy, the seasonlong NFL leader entering play Sunday, is at 112.3.
In his last four games, Fields has run 41 times for 232 yards, an average of 5.7 yards per carry. Only one NFL player has a better average during the season.
Without victories, however, those are just numbers. But with a victory, it just might be progress.
‘‘Focus on finishing better and finishing out the game when it counts and, when a drive comes up, making that big play when it matters,’’ Fields said. ‘‘We’re definitely excited for this opportunity.’’
