3 plays that show Justin Fields is still learning to be a NFL QB

It takes time to become an elite NFL quarterback.

Rarely does it happen overnight.

Peyton Manning, Steve Young, Joe Montana, John Elway and Aaron Rodgers stumbled quite a bit before becoming generational talents who led their teams to Super Bowl titles.

With time, each gained confidence that, yes I can fit a ball into that extremely tight window.

Or, hmmm — I have have a lot more time than I thought.

Or, if I throw this ball now, the receiver is going to be in that EXACT SPOT and he will catch it.

Or, here comes an all-out blitz. But that's OK — my “hot” receiver will be wide open in the flat.

Bears quarterback Justin Fields is clearly still learning all of these things, a fact he demonstrated a few times during the Bears' 24-14 loss to Green Bay at Soldier Field on Sunday.

The most egregious missed opportunity came late in the first half when Allen Robinson was running wide open down the middle of the field. Instead of a 65-yard TD pass, Fields scrambled for 7 yards.

When I asked why he didn't throw the ball, Fields said: “That's the naked play? Yeah, I know the play you're talking about. He's usually in front of the corner(back) on that. That's a naked play and I just pulled out because the end was up field, but that play's not designed to go to him.”

But he was wide open. And every play that has a receiver running a route is obviously an option.

“That's a naked play,” Fields repeated, “and my eyes aren't supposed to go there.”

Right. But, again, everyone is an option. Your eyes are supposed to scan the entire field. You have to throw that ball.

This is where we remind everyone Fields (16-for-27, 174 yards) is young and has very little pro experience. He's still growing and perhaps not willing to improvise much.

A few plays later, Cole Kmet is running a 15-yard crossing route. He's not wide open, but a well-thrown ball results in a big pickup. Fields does not make the throw.

Eventually, the drive stalls thanks to a delay of game (which Fields tried to avoid by calling a timeout that was not granted) and a sack. So Green Bay took a 10-7 lead into the locker room.

After the Packers (5-1) went 90 yards in 10 plays to go up 17-7 early in the third quarter, the Bears (3-3) mounted a decent drive and faced a critical third-and-7 at the Packers 40.

Darnell Mooney ran an “out” pattern and was open for a split second along the sideline. Fields has to trust where his wideout is going to be on that play. Throw it before he even comes out of the break and it's a first down.

Instead, he waits too long, throws incomplete and the Bears are forced to punt.

“I think he's done a really good job with his progressions and understanding what we want to do,” said head coach Matt Nagy. “I mean there's so many things that go into it. I'm really proud of where he's at. Again, every day he's gonna keep growing. ...

“So if there is a time here or there (that he misses a read), maybe. But that's football. Every quarterback has that happen.”

True. But the best ones don't allow them to happen often.

Now, Fields was good at times, especially on the opening drive when he was 3-for-3 for 46 yards. On the Bears' other TD drive, he connected with Robinson and Kmet for 20- and 21-yard passes, ran for 14 yards on a broken play and hit Darnell Mooney for a 5-yard score to make it 17-14 with 8:44 remaining.

Impressive stuff.

Unfortunately for Bears fans, they then saw the perfect example of a quarterback who trusts himself to throw a ball into a tight window when Rodgers hit a well-covered Allen Lazard for 13 yards on second-and-10 early on the next drive.

That faith led to a first down, which allowed Rodgers to hit Davante Adams for a 41-yard pickup two plays later. Before you knew it, Rodgers (17-for-23, 195 yards, 2 TDs) was sprinting into the end zone to cement yet another victory over the Bears.

After scoring — and noticing “a woman giving me the double bird” in the front row — Rodgers proclaimed: “I still own you! I still own you!”

One day maybe Fields will be able to say the same of the Packers. And the entire NFL.

But not yet. Because there's still plenty to learn.