CHICAGO – Justin Fields was brutally honest after his "trash" performance Sunday in the Bears' 23-20 win over the Houston Texans at Soldier Field.
Fields finished the day 8-for-17 for 106 yards and two interceptions. He was off target on numerous throws.
His first interception was the product of poor footwork as he sailed the ball over and wide of an open Cole Kmet down the seam. The second came when he tried to force the ball downfield to Darnell Mooney instead of hitting an open Kmet or Dante Pettis.
It was a day in which Fields looked like he had regressed. That all the offseason work he put in to fix the footwork, mechanics, and pocket presence didn't stick.
"Straight up, I just played -- I don't want to say the A-word, but I played like trash," Fields said after Sunday's loss. "Really just got to be better.
"I'm going to go see the film tonight. I played terrible. See what I could have done better and get better."
Fields vowed to get better for his teammates. The Bears need him to make good on that promise.
Many things can be true about Fields' performance through three weeks. While great in run blocking, the Bears' offensive line has not been great in pass protection. Some of the sacks are also on Fields for holding onto the ball too long and not having the clock in his head to tell him when to escape a collapsing pocket or step up into one that has been created. The Bears' receivers have struggled to separate. That was always going to be an issue. Fields also has missed several open receivers. It appears that he's struggling to see the entire field, especially when protection breaks down.
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But Fields has only completed 23 passes on the season. Fourteen quarterbacks completed more passes Sunday than Fields in three games.
It was fair to disregard the first two games of the season. Week 1 was played in poor conditions and the Bears focused on the run in Week 2. But Fields' performance in Week 3 against a bad Texans passing defense is reason to sound the alarm.
He and the Bears are speeding toward a dangerous crossroads if things don't start improving. That the Bears already appear to be losing confidence in the second-year quarterback only exacerbates the situation.
On Sunday, the Bears got the ball with 1:04 left in the first half. They were trailing by one and had all three of their timeouts remaining. It was a prime opportunity to put the ball in Fields' hands and let him try to march them into scoring position. If nothing else, the Bears could have gotten Fields and the passing game some confidence and momentum heading into the second half.
Instead, head coach Matt Eberflus went conservative and took all three timeouts into the locker room. Eberflus explained the decision as a mixture of analytics and poor coaching operation.
But actions speak louder than words.
On Sunday, the Bears had seven snaps inside the red zone and didn't throw a pass on any of those seven snaps. They threw only four passes on their 14 third downs but called a total of eight dropbacks.
In a season that is supposed to be about developing Fields into an upper-level franchise quarterback, the Bears risk careening off the road if they don't change course.
Trust goes both ways. Fields has to earn it. But the Bears also have to give him the confidence to handle those situations.
For example: Facing a third-and-6 in the second quarter, the Bears elected to run a draw to Khalil Herbert, much to the home crowd's dismay.
I understand that Eberflus' duty is to the Bears and all 53 players, not just Fields. There's no doubt the Bears could beat the Texans by leaning on Herbert and a run game that has been successful early on.
But the success of this Bears season will be defined by Fields' development, not by wins and losses. That's an impossibly tough rope to walk. But Sunday presented several opportunities for the Bears to let Fields be Justin Fields. To let him either thrive or fail. To build confidence and learn from how he performs in those situations.
The Bears chose primarily to take it out of his hands.
The offense that was supposed to be tailored to Fields' strengths has been simple and uninventive through three games. Defenses are ready for the bootlegs and rollouts the Bears showcased in the preseason. But the Bears need to find a way to make Fields more comfortable in the offense. More play-action passes, more throws with a wider margin for error, and more running plays for Fields might be the answer.
It's not time to jump ship on Fields. Far from it. He has the talent to be a franchise quarterback. That has never been the question.
But Sunday's performance showed a quarterback that looked like he was regressing. One who the coaching staff doesn't fully trust to win with his arm.
Fields needs to be better. The Bears must do a better job of putting him in a position to succeed and allowing him to play free and use his rare gifts to boost his confidence.
It's on both parties to fix a situation that appears to be fracturing and heading down a perilous path. One that's hard to come back from if you get too far down.