Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields’ stats through the first two weeks of the 2022 NFL season are nowhere near what he, or any Bears fans, expected. He’s thrown for just 191 yards, which ranks last among starting quarterbacks this year. He’s completing only 53.6% of his passes, and his 69.2 passer rating is fourth-worst in the NFL.
Context, however, is required.
Stats don’t always tell the full story, and it’s especially true for Fields’ box score after two games. The Bears’ home opener featured monsoon-like conditions that made an effective passing game impossible. In Week 2, Chicago’s offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, dialed up only 19 pass plays, 11 of which Fields was actually able to attempt a throw. It doesn’t matter how talented a quarterback is; he isn’t going to thrive in face of extreme weather and limited play calling.
So, yeah, That’s at least part of the reason why Fields isn’t winning over any fantasy football managers. But what he is proving early in the 2022 season is that he has the qualities needed to be a leader and a franchise quarterback off the field. Fields’ desire to win — and his hate for losing — was undeniable following Sunday night’s loss to the Packers. It caused him to make a controversial-yet-not-controversial statement about Bears players hurting more from a loss than fans because the fans “aren’t putting in any work.”
It caused a firestorm on social media. On Wednesday, Fields took a moment to clarify his statement and, in the process, proved that he has special leadership qualities.
“I’d like to address this now to get everything cleared up,” Fields said. “There was a thing I said on Sunday after the game where I said the fans don’t put in work. First off, I was frustrated after the game. No. 1, I didn’t want to talk to you guys. I wasn’t in the mood to come and talk to you guys. So, I should’ve done a better job of explaining what I meant by that. What I meant by that is I’m talking about work regarding the game on Sunday, winning the game.
“I respect every fan that we have. I’m glad that we have fans. I would never disrespect anybody on what they do or what they love to do. It came off like that. Some social media outlets, they quoted my quote and they got a big buzz out of it. So, of course they did a great job doing that. Of course social media is going to do that. But I just wanted to clear that up.”
