NFL Justin Fields' Ohio State successor showing him up through two NFL games
Justin Fields' Ohio State successor showing him up through two NFL games originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
This past Sunday, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud became the first Ohio State quarterback to throw for over 380 yards in a single game.
CJ Stroud is officially the first QB from Ohio State to throw for 380+ yards in an NFL game.
Stroud also has more 300-yard passing games than Justin Fields now.
Fields has played in 27 games, while Stroud has played in 2.
Stroud is also currently 4th in the NFL, and 2nd in the… pic.twitter.com/8DYsxaq2QN— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) September 18, 2023
With that, he also has more 300-yard passing games than his Buckeye predecessor, Justin Fields. For the record, Fields has never thrown for over 300 yards in a single game. His career-high was 291 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers during his rookie season. And yet, his success surpassed the feat in two games. Fields has 27 under his belt.
This is an impressive feat for Stroud, who is not only a rookie quarterback, but given a subpar team in the Texans. His best receivers are Nico Collins, who has over 1,000 receiving yards combined through three seasons in the NFL, Robert Woods, a seasoned veteran whose best years are well behind him, and rookie Tank Dell.
Fields, on the other hand, has DJ Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool --- all highly capable receivers with a slew of accomplishments on their respective résumés.
Stroud also has a first-year head coach and the 27th-ranked defense. That analogy would definitely make some Bears fans think.
Before the season, some outsiders were persuaded the best foot forward for the Bears was trading Fields and taking a quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The Bears had the rights to the first selection before trading it to the Carolina Panthers for a litany of future draft picks and Moore.
Would they have taken Stroud? We'll never know. And the other rookies aren't yet flourishing themselves, either.
But it's possible the Bears are starting to regret hanging onto Fields, who still has a multitude of flaws to work out before the Bears can be confident in him being their franchise quarterback, if they do at all.
Did the Bears make a mistake? Or, is two weeks well too early to answer this question? It might be a paradox.
Click here to follow the Under Center Podcast.
