Matt Nagy has a world of faith in the abilities of Andy Dalton.
Justin Fields got the start in Week 4 for the Chicago Bears and was finally allowed to show off his arm talent.
The rookie had some huge throws, the defense was amazing, and the Bears pulled out a 24-14 win over the Detroit Lions.
Yet Nagy is once again sticking with the veteran Dalton as his starter.
Matt Nagy reinforces that Andy Dalton is QB1 over Justin Fields when healthy 🧐 pic.twitter.com/w4SmkHmA1f
— PFF (@PFF) October 4, 2021
Dalton has to prove he is healthy this week, but this mindset overall is a bit tough to understand.
An Upbeat Victory
The Bears offense clearly responds well to Fields.
He brings a special energy to the group and the receivers have to be loving the idea of catching the bombs he can throw.
Justin Fields, what a throw 🤧
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/bPqo4yqKS7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 3, 2021
Dalton is just not going to make those throws and sitting Fields once he starts to build some confidence may truly have a negative impact on the locker room.
One just has to question the overall goal of the organization this season.
Let’s assume the goal is indeed to compete for a playoff spot.
Is Fields that much worse than Dalton?
The Bears are now 2-2 with a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.
That already stands out as a game that will be tough to win.
Benching Fields in favor of Dalton and losing, which may happen regardless of the quarterback, won’t be great for the morale of the team after the Week 4 win with the rookie.
It is still entirely possible Dalton gets healthy and lights up the Raiders defense next week.
However, it is not likely.
How Fields Can Keep His Job
Dalton is still working his way back from a bone bruise in his knee and may not even be healthy enough to play next Sunday.
In that scenario, Fields would get the start again.
So let’s say that happens and Fields looks great and potentially even leads the Bears to an upset victory.
Is Dalton still going to get his job back then?
That would be a wild decision, however, at this point it appears likely based on how adamant Nagy is about Dalton being the starter.
If Fields is back on the bench this week, it should still only be a matter of time before he is put back on the field.
Nagy could lose with Fields and keep his job if the rookie is showing development.
If he loses with Dalton, while the future of the franchise sits on the bench, there are no excuses to be made.
We will know more about this situation in a few days and all Bears fans can do is sit back and enjoy the Nagy experience.
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