(670 The Score) On one hand, Justin Fields did what every Bears fan had been waiting to see.
If they still could bear to watch, that is.
Fields led a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter Monday night against the Vikings, finishing in a way the Bears typically don’t by making a rare play in the clutch. On third-and-10 at the Vikings’ 49-yard line with 1:06 left and the Bears trailing 10-9, Fields found DJ Moore across the middle for a 36-yard completion that saved the day.
Moore found the opening in a Vikings defense that suddenly became passive, and Fields put the ball on the money for the prettiest – and longest –play in an ugly game.
"That play goes all the way back in training camp," Fields told reporters.
Three kneel-downs later, Cairo Santos kicked a 30-yard field goal – his fourth of the night – to help the Bears escape U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis with a 12-10 victory that was second-year coach Matt Eberflus’ first over an NFC North opponent and finally one over a team with a winning record.
The only person who needed this moment more than Eberflus was Fields, whose final stretch this season will go a long way toward determining his NFL future. That final sequence gave Fields supporters an example to make their case stronger.
On the other hand, Fields critics can counter that he put the Bears in such a precarious position by fumbling twice in the fourth quarter, turnovers as unacceptable as they’re unforgivable for NFL quarterbacks.
With 9:46 left in the game and the Bears leading 9-3 with the ball at the Vikings’ 22-yard line, Fields did the only thing he couldn’t afford to do. Elite edge rusher Danielle Hunter stripped Fields, and Sheldon Day recovered the fumble, preventing the Bears from adding at least a field goal to make it a two-possession game.
After the Vikings then took a 10-9 lead, Fields did it again by losing the football with 3:36 left as Anthony Barr recovered his fumble. Only because the Bears defense forced a three-and-out did Fields get one last shot at redemption.
“The second one was a backbreaker," Fields told reporters. “But guys never wavered. I told the guys in the locker room I appreciated them for standing beside me."
So did Fields making a big play with the game on the line outweigh two fourth-quarter fumbles?
Every data point for Fields matters in his so-called seven-game final evaluation before the Bears decide whether to stick with him or commit to one of the top quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft class – Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. Everybody knows what’s at stake, which is why the local conversation about Fields around Chicago made its way onto the Monday Night Football stage.
So did Bears general manager Ryan Poles leave the stadium late Monday night feeling good or bad about what he saw from Fields?
It’s a fair question. It’s a good debate.
The answer is both, but the positives that come with victory weigh a little heavier than the negatives that still can’t be ignored. It all depends on what criteria you’re using to judge Fields.
Because winning a game by impacting a final drive was a box that Fields really had yet to check, that should be the focus. That was the most glaring omission from his football resume.
That doesn’t mean anybody should overlook Fields losing two fumbles. Not. At. All. That merely suggests showing resilience by making a play with the game on the line made a more lasting impression. Five games remain for Fields to influence the decision-makers at Halas Hall, but this one will be remembered most for that clutch pass to Moore.
It would be a mistake to exaggerate the importance of that completion in any long-term projection for Fields, just as it would have been premature to conclude anything after his second lost fumble. It’s an ongoing evaluation, and what happened against the Vikings frankly gave both sides ammunition for their Fields arguments.
Maybe everybody can agree the game was a football eyesore, hardly a nationally televised commercial for NFL excellence.
Maybe future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady had a point. Brady created a stir last week by saying on his podcast that “there’s a lot of mediocrity in the NFL."
Calling elements of this matchup mediocre would sound like a compliment. For most of the night, it appeared the game would come down to which team wanted it less.
The Bears became the only NFL team in the Super Bowl era to win a road game despite scoring no touchdowns, having 75 or more yards in penalties and losing multiple fumbles, according to OptaStats.
But the defense wouldn’t let the Bears lose, holding the Vikings to 242 total yards and creating four turnovers.
Edge rusher Montez Sweat stood out with 1.5 sacks. Linebacker T.J. Edwards flew around and intercepted Josh Dobbs. Rookie cornerback Terrell Smith filled in admirably for injured starter Tyrique Stevenson and led the team with eight tackles. Nickelback Kyler Gordon played physically, coming up with a key third-down stop and a diving interception.
And then there was corner back Jaylon Johnson, who broke up three passes and made his presence felt.
For the second straight week, Johnson dropped what would've been a game-changing pick-six. A second-half holding call on third down also hurt, but Johnson redeemed himself on the same series by deflecting the fourth-down pass that Edwards intercepted.
But the play everybody will remember came late in the second quarter. Johnson broke perfectly on an out route that Dobbs floated, but the ball slipped through his fingertips. He might consider losing the gloves.
Johnson played exceptionally well against the Vikings, but if he wants to be paid like an All-Pro, top-tier NFL cornerback, he has to know All-Pro, top-tier NFL cornerbacks make those kinds of plays, the type that have barely eluded Johnson in consecutive games.
Earlier in the second quarter, Johnson expertly played his zone and baited Dobbs into throwing an interception that Johnson didn’t drop. Alas, the Bears failed to take advantage, thwarted by two penalties on the offensive line.
It was so on-brand for the Bears to create a turnover but lose momentum.
The Bears also wasted a Jaquan Brisker pick after the ball went through Jordan Addison’s hands. Instead of getting points out of the possession, the Bears punted after the offense stalled again. At that point, the Bears led the turnover battle 2-0 but only led the game 3-0. That’s not exactly capitalizing.
That was typical of a game nobody wanted to win.
The only glaring negative snap by the Bears defense came on Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson’s 17-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter in front of safety Eddie Jackson, who passively stayed too deep in the end zone before attacking Hockenson’s route.
Suffice to say that Eberflus did a better job calling defenses than presiding over his offense.
He appeared to be taking a more aggressive approach when he went for it on fourth-and-10 in the second quarter rather than try a 55-yard field goal. Santos previously had missed a 48-yard attempt, but 55 yards was within his range indoors under ideal conditions. Yet sometime between that initial aggressive decision and the next fourth-down call – a fourth-and-3 at the Vikings' 7-yard line – Eberflus lost his nerve. He opted for the chip-shot field goal rather than stay on the attack and trust his defense if the Vikings held.
At 3-8 entering the evening, what exactly did Eberflus have to lose by going for it in that situation? How were the two situations different?
“You feel good about how your defense is playing if you don’t get it,’’ Eberflus told reporters about the first fourth-down call. “And then obviously down there (at the 7), you want points."
The Bears passing game never really threatened the Vikings downfield. Fields completed his first 12 passes but stretched the field more horizontally than vertically. Exactly 11 of his first 19 completions were either at or behind the line of scrimmage, with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy obsessed with the wide receiver screen. On second-and-6 late in the fourth quarter, the Vikings sniffed out a side screen to Darnell Mooney that lost four yards.
Without the threat of the deep ball that Fields takes pride in throwing, the Bears offense really went nowhere until the final drive. Fields completed 27 of 37 passes for 217 yards with an 87.3 passer rating and was sacked three times. He hit Moore 11 times for 114 yards. He ran 12 times for 59 yards, coming through with more clutch runs than passes before his 36-yarder to Moore. He supplied a mixture of good and bad, with more inconsistent production than his critics would like but enough flash plays to keep his diehards encouraged.
Analyst and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman made a keen observation about Fields: His uncanny running ability sometimes makes him believe he can escape pressure that's inescapable, so he'll hold onto the ball too long. His great strength can become a weakness if he can’t concede plays quicker by getting rid of the football.
That's decision-making that needs some work.
But the decision to find his favorite receiver with the game on the line was the best one Fields made.
In the end, that’s the one people will remember most.
David Haugh is the co-host of the Mully & Haugh Show from 5-10 a.m. weekdays on 670 The Score. Click here to listen. Follow him on Twitter @DavidHaugh.