Young Bears Justin Fields, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker, Teven Jenkins emerging

Bears quarterback Justin FieldsOne of his best road games against the Patriots and coach Bill Belichick before a national audience, but he’s not looking at the big picture.

Fields will continue to play for the title, according to the coach he beat. Dallas Cowboys.

“(It’s) definitely momentum,” Fields told reporters after the Bears’ 33-14 victory at Gillette Stadium late Monday night. “But again, we can’t get too high on the win. We’ve got to get reset Wednesday and come in and prepare like any other week, prepare like last week. I know our guys aren’t going to be satisfied with just this win and we’re going to get back to work this week.”

Fields might not know this, but when it comes to his career starts, he’s finally on to his second season. The Bears’ victory against the Patriots came in his 17th start.

This week’s five takeaways column begins here.

17, 18, 19, and more

Fields could find the right paths in an ideal world and follow them. Bills quarterback Josh AllenAnd Eagles quarterback Jalen HurtsThey were able to be high-end starters in their third season. The Bears can achieve the same feat by improving their roster around their young quarterback.

That said, here is a look at Fields’ first 17 starts compared with what Allen and Hurts did, according to Pro Football Reference.

Each situation is different. Fields has dealt with significant change, from different offensive schemes and play callers to going from a team that had a win-now roster under general manager Ryan Pace to one that’s being rebuilt under Ryan Poles.

Fields’ sack numbers look worrisome compared with Allen and Hurts. We did not forget that. last week’s takeaways column. You should have listened to Troy Aikman, Eli Manning and Peyton on Monday night. Fields must get the ball out faster on certain plays and then throw it away to avoid getting sacks on other plays.

Hurts also notices the differences in running numbers. Fields is trying to catch up.

Luke Getsy, offensive coordinator, started changing that against the Patriots. He began turning to Fields’ more designed runs. It was more than just run-pass options. Fields had a variety of ground game options (sweeps counters and draws).

Allen and Hurts are the same for both the Eagles and Bills. If it remains part of the Bears’ offensive package — and it should — Fields’ pass attempts should increase because the offense has the potential to be on the field more.

Justin Fields magic in a little🪄 @justnfields

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— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2022

Off and running

Fields scored 11 runs against New England. Pro Football Focus reports that it was more than double his previous career record of five. Pro Football Reference said that it was different from the week before, when Fields scored a season-high ten scrambles. Washington.

“I thought it brought a whole different element to our offense,” Fields said. “I think we executed that well. And there were definitely some explosive plays in the designed runs.”

How much and how long the Bears feature them depends on Fields’ health.

But if there’s one thing that shouldn’t be questioned about Fields, it’s his toughness. He can handle contact. His awareness seems to be improving. He was able to avoid contact against the Patriots by either sliding, running out of bounds or getting down quickly. Fields ran to the sideline on his 20-yard scramble.

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Fields said after the game that he was thinking about avoiding “big hits,” knowing what Getsy’s game plan entailed for Monday night. Fields needs to be faster with the ball and avoid some sacks. But the Bears’ coaching and messaging is showing when he runs with the ball.

“You want to make sure that you’re doing it the right way,” coach Matt Eberflus said on Tuesday. “He has to know when to do things the right way in terms of when to slide, when to get out of bounds and all those things. He will also have the unscripted plays in which he will drop back on third down and take off for first down or vice versa. I think it’s very hard to defend. I’ve tried to defend those guys over the years, and it’s very difficult. We just have to do it the right way — and we’ve got to be creative with how we do it. So we’re going to do that.”

The benefits of having designed runs in the offense far outweigh any risks. Fields can mentally and physically handle it as well as Allen and Hurts.

Getting into a rhythm

Belichick wasn’t surprised that the Bears ran the ball with Fields. He said that his team had anticipated it.

“We knew what his ability was,” Belichick said after the game. “Once a couple of those started hitting early in the game, then we could see that’s the way the game was going to go. So, yeah, I wouldn’t say it was a total surprise. We were playing for it from the moment it was announced. We didn’t do a great job defending it, but, yeah.”

It helped that Getsy had an answer for every punch Belichick threw. Velus Jones Jr.As a decoy, or as the perfect screen to allow the Patriots defense to blitz the entire team.

Getsy found a rhythm with his calls, his best yet as the Bears’ play caller. He’s learning on the job, much like Fields is. He seems to have adjusted well during the mini-bye week.

“It was good,” Eberflus said of Getsy’s play calling. “The mix and match of the in-pocket, out-of-pocket, the different protections we were using to really focus on the strengths of our football team and our offensive unit, I thought was excellent. He really did a nice job of keeping things off balance for the opponent and it was good, it was good.”

It won’t always look that way. With pass rusher, the Cowboys will challenge Bears Micah ParsonsHe is a true game-wrecker. But Getsy’s offense has produced 391 and 390 totals yards of offense in consecutive weeks and against two proven defensive minds, Belichick and Ron Rivera. Fields and the offense performed better in the red zone than the Patriots.

Kyler Gordon, Bears rookie cornerback, snatched his first interception Monday night at New England. (Paul Rutherford/USA Today)

No more second-guessing

Monday night was the Bears’ first live look at a receiver drafted in the second round after their own selections of cornerback Kyler Gordon (No. 39) and safety Jaquan Bristker (No. 48).

The Patriots have selected a receiver Tyquan ThorntonNo. 50, two picks after Brisker. He played 85 percent of New England’s offensive snaps. He was targeted five times in 44 snaps, making one catch for 19 yards in the final four minutes on third-and-1 from the Patriots’ 23.

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Brisker and Gordon each matched Thornton’s receptions total with their interceptions. Gordon stepped in front of Thornton’s route for his pick against quarterback Bailey Zappe, whose throw was slightly ahead of the receiver.

Poles told reporters before the game that he doesn’t second-guess his offseason decision-making. The Bears have two reliable backups for their secondary, seven games into the rookie seasons with Brisker and Gordon. Every week, the rookies seem better.

Their interceptions on “Monday Night Football” weren’t gimmes.

It’s a grab! @JaquanBrisker! 🤫

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— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 25, 2022

“It’s staying the course,” Eberflus said. “We’ve said it before with ups and downs, ins and outs, and those guys have had that. You will get a better product if you focus on details and keep your eyes on the future. Is there going to be more adversities? Sure. That’s the way life is, that’s the way football is. But if you keep yourself in a positive mindset, say, ‘How can I get better? How can I improve? And I’ve got a partner right here in my coach that’s going to help me do that.’ Then you’ll see improved play during the course of the year.”

The Bears are seeing it from Gordon and Brisker.

It’s still early in all of their respective careers — and Thornton missed time with a broken collarbone — but the Patriots’ decision to draft Thornton over George Pickens (Steelers) or Alec Pierce (Colts) deserves more scrutiny than the Bears’ selections of Gordon and Brisker.

Right (guard) at Home

The Bears’ best offensive lineman is right guard Teven Jenkins. He allowed only one pressure Monday night, according to TruMedia, which tracks Pro Football Focus’ data. He has yet to allow a sack in this season. And he’s nasty.

Jenkins’ film is filling up with defenders on the ground. One came on Fields’ interception against the Patriots. Matthew Judon, a defensive end, jumped to intercept the pass and produced the turnover.

Jenkins made Jenkins pay. Judon was engaged to the left tackle Larry BoromJenkins came over to him and drove him to his death when he jumped.

It’s a message sent to those defenders who jump to bat passes.

It’s on film. Jenkins’s defender is also on the screen.

Another example came during Fields’ 20-yard scramble. Jenkins was the first to help center Sam MustipherHe then slid to his left to help Borom. Judon was again sent to the grass.

This isn’t a recent trend, either. He sent 49ers pass rusher Nick BosaTo the ground in Week 1.

There are highlights from every game to get excited about when it comes to Jenkins’ development at right guard. Jenkins seems to be a Bear.

(Top photo by Justin Fields: Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images