The Bears led the Lions by 12 points with four minutes to go in Week 11, but they couldn’t finish the job and their 31-26 loss felt like it was the start of the team playing out the string on another losing season.
The picture looks a bit different on Monday. The Bears beat the Vikings in Week 12 and returned from the bye by showing they learned from their previous meeting with the Lions. They outscored Detroit 18-0 in the second half of a 28-13 win that moved them to 5-8 on the season and created some hope that they can move back into the playoff race by continuing to win games.
Quarterback Justin Fields is a big part of that equation and his play on Sunday is part of the reason that hope exists. Fields threw for 233 yards and a touchdown while running for 58 yards and another score to continue a run of strong play since returning from a right thumb injury.
“There were a few throws I missed,” Fields said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “There were multiple plays during the game where we could have executed better. . . . The third downs and just the throws downfield, of course — there were a couple that I wanted back. But we won the game, and [there’s] still room to get better, so that’s just the hope for the future.”
Fields’ future with the Bears figures to be a hot topic over the final weeks of the regular season. The Bears are in line for the first overall pick in next year’s draft after trading the first overall pick this year to the Panthers and their decision about how to proceed at quarterback will set the course for the franchise in 2024 and beyond. The more the Bears win between now and then, the likelier it is that Fields will continue to have a place in Chicago.
