Aug 28, 2021; Nashville, TN, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields (1) throws a touchdown during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Matt Clapp on

Justin Fields won’t be the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback in Week 1 vs the Los Angeles Rams, but he keeps showing why he probably should get the nod over Andy Dalton (then again, the Bears’ porous offensive line keeps showing why head coach Matt Nagy may be hesitant to put Fields out there immediately; counterpoint: but what if that’s just how the line is all year?).

Fields played the full first half vs the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night in Nashville, and completed 7-of-10 passes for 54 yards, one touchdown, and a 116.3 passer rating. He also had two carries for 13 yards.

All three of Fields’ incompletions were drops on passes that would likely be caught by players like Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney (rather than the backups Fields keeps being forced to throw to), who got the night off.

The Ohio State product looked sharp, and his final throw of the night was a particularly fantastic one.

With under a minute remaining in the first half, Fields avoided pressure, rolled to his right, and threw a dime on the move to Bears tight end Jesper Horsted for a 20-yard touchdown pass.

The replay shows how incredible the throw was, requiring perfect ball placement to find Horsted’s hands instead of the Tennessee defenders in coverage.

Amazing throw, and the entire play beautifully shows off Fields’ skillset: the mobility, arm strength, and accuracy (while being able to maintain the latter two traits on the move).

Fields finishes the preseason with 30-of-49 passes completed (and again- plenty of those incompletions have been drops by third and fourth-string players), for 276 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 96.98 passer rating. He’s also had 92 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.

The demands to start Fields will only get louder from Bears fans — and football evaluators in general) after Saturday night’s performance.

Related: Bears TE Jesper Horsted makes crazy one-handed catch for his third TD of the night

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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