GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the extensive evaluation of Bears quarterback Justin Fields, a single game against the Packers to end the season is a small piece of the equation. As the general manager Ryan Poles goes into the offseason at a critical quarterback juncture with the No. 1 pick in hand, he had all the information he needed before Sunday.
It was, however, a chance for Fields to leave a lasting image in Poles’ mind, but that snapshot looked like many others before it: Fields gave a mediocre performance and the Bears lost 17-9 to the Packers in what might’ve been his final game with the team.
He completed 11 of 16 passes for 148 yards with no touchdowns or turnovers for a 97.9 passer rating and rushed eight times for 27 yards. He didn’t break 100 yards passing until the fourth quarter. The offense managed just three field goals in six possessions.
Whether it’s Fields coming back or a rookie like Southern California’s Caleb Williams, the Bears need more from their quarterback.
Fields believed his trajectory pointed positively after a season that was merely marginally better statistically than the last one, but admitted he was “not sure” if he’d done enough to convince Poles.
“I’m headed up,” he said. “I felt growth this year, each and every game. I’ve been feeling it really since I got back from injury. I’ve gotten better tremendously.., and I’m only getting better.”
He was uncertain enough that he gave a provisional goodbye and thank you to fans before walking off the podium at Lambeau Field, “in case this is my last rodeo with y’all.”
“I gave it my all,” Fields said. “Whether [I’m] here or not, I have no regrets.”
As he has throughout the last two months, when it became increasingly likely the Bears would get the No. 1 pick, he seemed at peace.
Fields described his season as “a lot of ups and downs,” but said he learned a lot. He completed 61.4% of his passes, averaged 197.1 yards per game, threw 16 touchdown passes against nine interceptions and had an 86.3 passer rating — up just 1.1 points from last season.
Other than the interception total, he ranked in the bottom half to third in the NFL in those categories. He finished second among quarterbacks with 657 yards rushing.
Had he played more definitively, especially as a passer, there’d be no conversation about the Bears changing course.
“We had the same topics last year,” Fields said. “We had the No. 1 pick and everybody’s asking, ‘What if, what if, what if,’ and nothing happened.
“I’m not saying nothing will happen because, shoot, we all don’t know. But I’m not gonna let the potential of what if or what if not stress me from enjoying life.”
The Bears traded out of the No. 1 pick last year, which is how they ended up with it via the Panthers this year. In committing to Fields at that point, Poles bypassed the opportunity to draft C.J. Stroud, who went No. 2 to the Texans, is an MVP candidate and is in the playoffs.
Fields couldn’t do enough Sunday to steer the Bears out of their slide in this rivalry and fell to 0-6 against the Packers. They’ve beaten the Bears 10 consecutive times, matching the longest streak in a series that began over a century ago.
And, as always, they did it with far more firepower at quarterback. It looks like Jordan Love owns the Bears, too, and propelled the Packers to the playoffs with a 300-yard game. Fields and the Bears will sit home at 7-10.
No matter how many good pieces Poles puts in place during his rebuild, his mission to “take the North and never give it back” won’t truly launch until he has a quarterback to pilot it.
The Packers certainly seem to have their man in Love, who nearly led the NFL in touchdown passes with 32. That’s more in a season than any quarterback in Bears history and double what Fields did this season.
He torched the Bears for the second time this season, playing nearly perfectly with 27-for-32 passing, 316 yards and two touchdown passes for a 128.6 passer rating. He threw three touchdown passes and put up a 123.2 passer rating at Soldier Field in the opener.
Love made one mistake Sunday, losing a fumble at midfield on a scramble late in the third quarter, but Fields and the Bears didn’t do much with it. They got to the Packers’ 17-yard line, and rookie cornerback Carrington Valentine dropped a would-be interception in the end zone on third-and-10. The Bears settled for their third field goal of the game.
After walking out of Lambeau Field disappointedly, Poles must weigh whether he sees enough promise in Fields to bet his job on it. This game was Fields’ 25th start out of 38 over three seasons in which he threw for fewer than 200 yards. It also was his 31st with fewer than 20 completions.
It’s the biggest choice of Poles’ career.
He inherited a quarterback who was drafted No. 11 the year before he arrived, then got the No. 1 pick two years in a row, and it’s inexcusable to come out of that sequence without a franchise quarterback.
He won’t win without one. And so far, he hasn’t.