How Bears can improve pass game, per Justin Fields

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In the Bears 20-12 loss to the Giants, Justin Fields completed 11-22 passes for 174 yards. It’s an anemic stat line, but each of those numbers represented a season high for Fields. That says everything you need to know about the Bears passing attack to date, but don’t tell that to the Bears quarterback.

“Numbers don’t matter in my opinion,” Fields said. “As long as we win, like I’ve said, that’s all I care about.”

Yes, the Bears have managed to win two games without an effective pass game. They’ve been able to lean on their effective running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, and a defense that’s shown a penchant for coming up with timely takeaways. But to win consistently in the NFL, and to beat some of the better competition, the Bears will need to find a way to make more plays through the air.

To do that, Fields conceded the Bears have work to do on all fronts.

“We’ve just got to be more consistent. Whether it’s me, whether it’s the o-line, whether it’s the receivers. Some plays we’re all all on the same page, we’re all executing great and some plays we aren’t. The biggest thing with that is just consistency.

“There were some plays where I was just hanging out back there. No one was around me. So I think the (offensive line) did a good job on some plays, but there were other plays where they could’ve been a little bit better. Also me with some of the protection adjustments. I could’ve done that better.”

Fields added that at times wide receivers weren’t running routes at the right depths. We saw receivers drop catchable balls, too. For every critique of his teammates, Fields was sure to take accountability for a moment when he could’ve played better, too. Matt Eberflus saw progress in the passing game from his perspective, and there’s an argument to be made that they did. Darnell Mooney finally got going. Mooney was on the receiving end of Fields’ longest pass play of the year, too, a 56-yarder. Fields looked more decisive when throwing the ball, and when deciding to tuck the ball and run.

In the end, it didn’t lead to points on the board. The Bears uncharacteristically couldn’t find the end zone once they made it to the red zone. Coming into the game, their 71.4% touchdown rate in the red zone was fifth-best in the NFL. Against the Giants, the Bears went 0-3 in the red zone, settling for field goals each time. Fields said “a lot of stuff” went wrong in that area, which prevented the team from scoring touchdowns.

“I think the main thing was just execution,” Fields said. “Of course every red zone drive is different, butー I feel like we did a good job driving to the red zone, but I think we just gotta capitalize when we get down there and score seven.”

Moving forward, everyone will have to improve, as Fields said. Players need to execute better, and coaches need to get the players better prepared to succeed. Even the personnel department needs to self-scout after putting this team on the field. With Cody Whitehair out, the Bears now have question marks at every single offensive line position. The wide receiver group has been scrutinized all year, and has yet to prove doubters wrong. There is a lot of work to do, or else the Bears will be in store for another ugly offensive season.

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