With 4 games to go, Fields has his focus on his 'feel' for the game, not the results
Justin Fields was "pretty sore" after Sunday's loss to the Green Bay Packers, but that's not unusual for an NFL quarterback. The rookie attributed it more to his missed time than his rib injury.
Fields returned to action Sunday after missing the previous two games with broken ribs. Following the game, he said there remains some pain when he throws the football, but it's manageable pain. Fields also has a left hand injury, but it isn't expected to keep him out of any future games. He was a full participant in practice Thursday.
Fresh off his first trip to Lambeau Field, the 11th overall draft pick will face another NFC North opponent for the first time this week in the Minnesota Vikings. There will likely remain some uncertainty this week about which of his teammates will be available. The Bears now have 12 players on the COVID-19 list and an additional eight dealing with non-COVID-19 illnesses.
The offensive line was hit particularly hard. Guard Cody Whitehair and center Sam Mustipher were the only two of the five regular starters who participated in practice Thursday.
"You can't go into a game or go into a play thinking, 'I don't have exactly the tackle that has been playing all year,'" Fields said. "You have to have confidence in all your teammates and know that they're going to do their best to execute."
The COVID-19 issues will be an ongoing development ahead of Monday night's game. The Bears changed Thursday's practice to a walk-through. It's unclear what they will do Friday. Fields doesn't think that fewer practices will affect the team. He pointed to the Thursday game against Detroit in November, when the Bears didn't have any full practices because of a quick turnaround.
"If guys can't lock in for a walk-through, that's on them at the end of the day," Fields said. "And it's partly my job to make sure that other guys around me are locked in and taking the walk-through seriously."
From an on-field perspective, Fields played well in his return against Green Bay, despite a pair of interceptions. Fields' pick-six interception was a mistake, but his second interception was more out of desperation in the final seconds. Fields threw for 224 yards on 18-of-33 passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy thought Fields did a great job Sunday of adjusting on the fly.
"I was really impressed after I went back and watched the tape with how - what's the word? - with just how creative he was in making things happen when it wasn't there," Nagy said.
Fields ran out of the pocket frequently, but didn't take any major hits. He ran for 74 yards on nine carries, picking up several first downs.
All eyes will be on Fields these last four weeks. He has four more games to make his last first impression as a rookie.
Fields said he judges his performance based off how he feels in the game, whether he feels good with particular plays. The results, while important, are less important than the feel.
"Like how comfortable do you feel running these plays," Fields said. "And literally every week I feel more and more comfortable just with the whole dynamic of the play, knowing where all my answers are."