(670 The Score) Last week, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy raised eyebrows when he offered praise for the progress he saw in second-year quarterback Justin Fields, who had been struggling in games.
Though the growth wasn’t clear to most, Getsy emphasized he was seeing continued development from the 23-year-old Fields. He proved to be prophetic, as Fields produced an encouraging performance in the Bears' 29-22 loss to the Vikings on Sunday.
Fields went 15-of-21 for 208 yards and a touchdown while adding eight carries for 47 yards in the loss. Afterward, Fields explained it was the most comfortable he has felt playing this season, and Getsy also came away pleased.
“Tons of progress,” Getsy said Tuesday of Fields’ play. “I don't like using those adjectives that are extreme; I'm just not that type of person. But there's been progress. And we're sticking to the plan. I thought he did a really nice job in that game in the sense of he kept his composure. They got off to a big lead, he kept the team together.”
Fields had struggled in the first four games while the Bears’ offense ranked near the bottom of the NFL in many key categories, but he thought the game Sunday felt different.
"When I first got here, you see big guys flying around, D-linemen going fast, you just think you have to speed everything up,” Fields said after the game. “I'm just starting to figure out that you got to play within your own rhythm."
To Getsy, Fields' continued growth offers promise but will also require time. It’s why he hasn’t rushed to judgement early on in working with Fields.
“That's the experience part of it that's hard for everybody to have patience with,” Getsy said. “It's cool that he's seeing that or saying that, but hopefully what he sees and how he views everything 10 games from now, hopefully he can even say that more dramatically. That's part of playing this position.”
The Bears (2-3) host the Commanders (1-4) on Thursday evening at Soldier Field.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
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