The Chicago Bears are in the spotlight on Thanksgiving as they try to avoid the upset against the Detroit Lions.
Unfortunately, rookie quarterback Justin Fields will not be playing after suffering an injury Sunday.
That leaves Andy Dalton to take on Jared Goff in a showdown no one ever asked for.
A rib injury was revealed to be the ailment for Fields, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport explained the true severity of the injury.
Sources: #Bears QB Justin Fields, already ruled out today, suffered a few cracked ribs on Sunday, further testing revealed. The X-Ray and CT scans were clean, but the MRI showed the additional issues. They are tiny fractures, not deemed major, and Fields should return shortly.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 25, 2021
Fields is reportedly dealing with several cracked ribs, thus explaining why he is not playing against the Lions on a short week.
But should he play at all if he is not fully healthy?
Bears In A Tough Position
Fields was drafted in the first round as the new potential franchise savior following the departure of Mitchell Trubisky.
Yet he has been eased into action this year and still only has 1,361 passing yards in 10 games.
The rookie’s best game came a few weeks ago on a Monday night when he threw for 291 yards and nearly took down the Pittsburgh Steelers, if not for some questionable officiating.
Every time Justin Fields winces or doesn’t immediately get up I lose a year off my life
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) November 21, 2021
Even if the Bears win Thursday they are still only 4-7 on the year.
That is not a playoff team and rushing Fields back if he is still hurt could only damage him for the future.
But Matt Nagy is in a position where he needs to win as much as possible to keep his job.
Winning a few games with Dalton does not do the same as winning with Fields would.
Nagy, and GM Ryan Pace for that matter, are now linked with Fields and his progression will help keep their jobs.
So if Fields can play, he will as Nagy tries to prove he is still the right man to lead this team.
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