MINNEAPOLIS (670 The Score) – Bears quarterback Justin Fields felt calm in the moment as he grasped the football in his right hand, scanned the Vikings' coverage and found top receiver DJ Moore open deep in the middle of the field.
It was the most important play of the Bears' 12-10 win on Monday night at U.S. Bank Stadium and marked a pivotal point in Fields' young career. He executed by finding Moore for a 36-yard gain, which set up kicker Cairo Santos' game-winning field goal with 10 seconds remaining.
"I'm just locked in," Fields said of that throw. "There's no feeling. It's just straight tunnel vision locked into that."
The key connection between Fields and Moore came as the Bears trailed 10-9 and faced a third-and-10 at the Vikings' 49-yard line with 1:06 remaining. The Bears were looking for a marginal gain to set Santos up for the go-ahead field-goal attempt, coach Matt Eberflus explained later, but Fields made the kick plenty comfortable with his big throw.
The Bears ran a play they'd worked on many times before in practice, with rookie receiver Tyler Scott running a deep route on the right side that drew attention as the Vikings were in zone coverage. Safety Camryn Bynum followed Scott's route, allowing Moore to release wide open on a cut over the middle.
Fields and Moore connected for a 36-yard completion to the Vikings' 13-yard line. The play turned what could've been another gut-wrenching loss into a victory for the Bears, who improved to 4-8.
"They left me wide open," Moore said. "I don't think that was a smart choice."
Moore had 11 receptions for 114 yards on the night, giving him 70 catches for 1,003 receiving yards in 12 games. Fields has been confident when looking Moore's direction this season.
Fields was 27-of-37 for 217 yards in the passing game Monday while adding 12 rushes for 59 yards on the ground. He also lost fumbles twice in the fourth quarter – he now has 35 fumbles in 35 career NFL games – but made the most of one more chance when the Bears got the ball back with 2:29 remaining.
Now in his third NFL season, Fields entered the game with a 6-26 record as the Bears' starting quarterback and hadn't ever played a leading role in a successful defining drive with the game on the line. Even so, his teammates had faith in him.
"I've always believed in him," Bears left guard Teven Jenkins said. "You see him day and day out being a hard worker.
"I trusted him in that drive to win that game for us."
Fields' place in the Bears' future remains uncertain as general manager Ryan Poles and his brass prepare to evaluate the quarterback position once again this offseason. What the Bears want to see is Fields be the reason why they're winning football games and progressing toward Poles' goal of sustained success.
On Monday in front of a national audience, Fields delivered a winning moment in a redeeming victory, both for himself and the Bears.
"As a team, we haven't let our record define who we are," Fields said. "We know who we are as a team. We know what we're capable of. It's really just going out there and doing it.
"I really just wanted to prove to my teammates that I had their back."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
