Andy Dalton has a bone bruise, status for Week 3 in air

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The Justin Fields era might get another chance at liftoff on Sunday.

According to a report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Chicago Bears starting quarterback Andy Dalton sustained a bone bruise in his injured knee that was confirmed by an MRI.

And while Rapoport said "no official determination has been made about his status this week" on a TV hit earlier in the morning he hinted Dalton might not play.

"If that is in fact what it is, then obviously next week's game would be a little difficult for Andy Dalton," Rapoport said.

Rapoport reiterated that while the Bears keep saying Dalton is the starter if healthy, "this is an injury that can cause players to miss time." And consequently, Fields would start on Sunday if Dalton can't play.

During the game, the broadcast booth suggested the Bears' might seize the injury to make the switch to Fields at quarterback. Any lingering injury to Dalton might also provide that cover to give Fields an opportunity to start and see how he performs.

"The other thing is Fields apparently has been tearing it up in practice," Rapoport. "I'm told there's been a lot of 'wow moments.' They have seen all of the growth that they've wanted to see."

In 2020, Mitch Trubisky won the QB1 battle with Nick Foles and won the first two games of the season. Then in Week 3, a rough start against the Atlanta Falcons gave Nagy all he needed to bench Trubisky in favor of Foles, a quarterback that head coach Matt Nagy has an extensive history with.

The difference there was Foles led a miraculous comeback, while Fields held on to win, showing some flashes and rookie mistakes.

Could this injury be what Nagy needs to start Fields, giving him an opportunity to win the starting job on the field, while maintaining following through on his promise to Dalton?

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