Justin Fields apologized to his team. Maybe he can talk to Zach Wilson about it.
Over their last four games, the Chicago Bears are 0-4 in games where they’ve scored 29, 30, 32, and 24 points. Their defense ranked 27th in DVOA over that time, In Chicago’s 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, Fields completed 14 of 21 passes for 152 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also ran 18 times for 85 yards and a touchdown. Basically, Fields was his team’s entire offense, and he persisted in being just that after suffering a shoulder injury in the game.
Meanwhile, Chicago’s defense was busy allowing the Falcons 280 yards and 5.3 yards per offensive play.
After the loss, the second-year quarterback did what quarterbacks are supposed to do: He took responsibility for it, even when he didn’t need to.
Per SI’s Albert Breer:
My understanding is Fields' defensive teammates stopped him as he was finishing the apology, told him they had his back. Really cool moment for everyone there, and a nice sign of where Matt Eberflus has taken the culture in Chicago.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 22, 2022
This, of course, is in stark contrast to Zach Wilson of the New York Jets, another second-year quarterback who refused to accept responsibility for his team’s 10-3 Sunday loss to the New England Patriots, despite the fact that he completed nine of 22 passes for 77 yards, no touchdowns, and two dropped interceptions. Wilson has benefited form the Jets’ lights-out defense this season, but simply replied, “No” when asked if he let his defense down. .
The point of quarterbacking is leadership. If your teammates don’t believe you’ve got their backs, whether your performance is great or historically awful, you’re not going to succeed. Wilson doesn’t seem to understand that, while Fields clearly does.
This Sunday, the Bears face the Jets at MetLife Stadium. Perhaps Fields could give Wilson a few lessons n leadership while he’s on Wilson’s home turf.
