Justin Fields, Bears stand in Falcons’ path to playoffs

The Bears, who have won three of their past four games, have some momentum. The Bears have doubled their win total from three to six wins under quarterback Justin Fields, the former Harrison High standout who played at Georgia and Ohio State.

“Just in our overall play,” Fields said after the win over the Cardinals. “Everybody understands the offense more. We have more talented players, guys like Montez (Sweat) and Tremaine (Edmunds) on the defense. Our defense is way better this year. I think we’re just better overall as a team. We’ve learned how to win as this season has gone along.”

The Bears have leaned on their rushing attack. They average 142.7 yards rushing per game, which ranks second in the league. Fields (585 yards), running back Khalil Herbert (459) and running back D’Onta Foreman (425) all have rushed for more than 400 yards this season.

In the 27-16 win over the Cardinals on Sunday, the Bears rushed 39 times for 250 yards. Herbert rushed 20 times for 112 yards and a touchdown in the win. Fields rushed nine times for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Fields, who’s still developing as an NFL passer, completed 15 of 27 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Cardinals. He had a 71.5 passer rating.

On the season, Fields has completed 196 of 322 passes (60.9%) for 2,146 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has a passer rating of 84.5.

“As long as we win, I’m not really a numbers guy,” said Fields, when asked his rushing and passing numbers were sustainable.

With the Bears holding Carolina’s pick in the 2024 draft, there is speculation about Fields’ future in Chicago. Several pundits, including ESPN’s Harry Douglas, believe the Falcons would be a good landing spot if the Bears elect to trade Fields and perhaps draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams.

However, most don’t consider the fact that the Falcons’ current front office had a chance to draft Fields, but elected to select tight end Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft.

However, the transition from quarterback Matt Ryan has not gone smoothly. The Falcons had Marcus Mariota as a placeholder until Desmond Ridder was ready. However, Ridder struggled this season and was benched twice because of his 16 turnovers.

So, maybe the Falcons will revisit Fields if he hits the open market.

“They’ve done a nice job,” Falcons coach Arthur Smith said. “Their rushing attack is rolling.”

The Falcons beat Fields and the Bears last season 27-24 on Nov. 20, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was Mariota’s last win with the team. He lost the next two, was benched and then left the team.

“It’s like last year before we played them, they had had a couple of great weeks running the football,” Smith said. “Their designed quarterback runs and the play extensions, those add up, too. When the game got close (against the Cardinals), he scrambled for a big play.”

Fields generally looks for wide receiver D.J. Moore, who has 83 catches for 1,141 yards and seven touchdowns. He had only three catches for 18 yards against the Cardinals while playing on a sore ankle.

Tight end Cole Kmet has 70 catches for 678 yards and six touchdowns. He had four catches for 107 yards against the Cardinals.

The Bears spent money and draft capital to improve their defense. They signed Edmunds to a four-year, $72 million contract in free agency and beat out the Falcons for defensive end Sweat, who played at Stephenson High, in an in-season trade with Washington.

“Certainly, their defense is really playing well,” Smith said. “They’ve made a lot of investments in that defense. Some of these younger pieces they’ve had in the secondary are playing well. Obviously, they added Sweat. They’re doing a good job of getting pressure with a four-man rush. I think (coach Matt) Eberflus is doing a hell of a job.”

Linebacker T.J. Edwards leads the Bears’ defense with 143 tackles. Edmunds has 98 tackles and safety Jaquan Brisker has 92.

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