Patrick: ‘Night and day' difference from Fields in '22

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It was clear to anyone who watched the Bears in 2021 and 2022 that Justin Fields improved both as a runner and a passer in his second season. But to the trained eyes inside Halas, Fields’ growth over the course of the season was remarkable. Bears offensive lineman Luke Getsy joined our NBC Sports Chicago Blackhawks crew during an intermission break on Sunday, and said there was a “night and day” difference between Fields’ first half and his second half in 2022.

“We saw the explosive plays he made during the latter half of the season and the things he was able to do both throwing and running the ball,” Patrick said. “It was excellent.”

Patrick came to the Bears from Green Bay, along with offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, so Patrick had special insight into Fields’ development in Getsy’s offense.

“I really think it was the confidence and him knowing when certain plays are coming,” Patrick said. “As a player you know, this play’s being called, this is my time to make the play, and he stepped up in those moments. We saw that at the end of the season.”

Patrick was also wowed by Fields’ raw arm talent this year.

“He throws a beautiful deep ball. As quarterbacks, there’s one, two, three balls. You know, one is direct, two has got a little zip on it and three has got that nice, beautiful arc ‘go’ ball. He might throw one of the better three balls I’ve seen in a long time. “

That’s quite the statement considering Patrick played with Aaron Rodgers for the first six years of his career.

Fields took the next step across the board last season and finished the year with a 60.4% completion rate, 2,242 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He made his biggest impact on the ground however, with 1,143 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. The 1,143 rushing yards were the second-highest single-season mark for a quarterback in NFL history, behind only Lamar Jackson’s 1,206 yard campaign in 2019.

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