With each passing preseason game, Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields wins over the fan base just a little bit more. Head coach Matt Nagy hasn’t changed his mind about the quarterback situation, however, as he reiterated on Saturday afternoon that Andy Dalton will start in Week 1, saying, “we need to see him in the regular season,” according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Bears were walloped by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, 41-15. Dalton was greeted by boos several times as he trotted onto the field in the first half, as he managed just one touchdown drive compared to Buffalo’s four in the first two quarters. Dalton did lead Chicago in passing with 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but exactly half of his yards and his lone touchdown pass came on an incredible Rodney Adams helmet catch.
As for Fields, he completed 9 of 19 passes for 80 yards and led the Bears in rushing with 46 yards on four carries. He didn’t score multiple touchdowns like in his preseason debut, but still proved that he can add something to this offense. Really, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything he can do at this point in time to win the starting job before the start of the regular season. Nagy has always maintained Dalton will get the first shot under center and he’s sticking to that promise.
Nagy did say Fields might get some time with the starters in the preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans, but he said the same thing on Monday and did not play Fields until the third quarter. SportsLine has established odds for when Fields will get his first NFL start, and they may have found the perfect time to make the quarterback switch. Check out their article, here.
