AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields had the best game of his young career on Sunday, rushing for an NFL regular season record 178 yards against the Miami Dolphins.
While the Bears came up just short against Miami, falling 35-32, Fields' game was a bright spot for a franchise in need of one. Chicago had traded away several star defensive players at the deadline, with hopes of reloading so that Fields has a strong team around him when he's hitting his prime. His game on Sunday showed promise that his prime could come sooner than expected.
At the start of the year, it felt as though the Bears didn't trust Fields, holding him to 17 pass attempts or fewer in each of their first three games. Additionally, Chicago was dialing up any designed runs for Fields, apparently content to let him hand the ball off to running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert.
But on Sunday, the Bears unleashed Fields to his full potential, and he proved why he was drafted so high two years ago. Fields threw for just 123 passing yards, but he found receivers in the end zone three times, helping to keep pace with a high-scoring Dolphins offense.
—Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 6, 2022
On the ground, Fields did even more damage, with his 178 yards breaking a regular season record previously held by Michael Vick. Colin Kaepernick holds the all-time record, once rushing for 181 yards in a playoff game.
—NFL (@NFL) November 6, 2022
At one point, Fields was doing so much damage on the ground that Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel told him to stop. Cameras caught the joking interaction between player and coach.
—Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 6, 2022
After the game, the Dolphins had plenty of praise for Fields' performance.
"He's as fast as any skill position runner," McDaniel told reporters. "Like, he is really, really fast, and he can cut and break tackles. There are a lot of running quarterbacks. This one, in particular, I think, is very elite and adept at that."
"I mean, dude is a baller," said Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. "He was making some plays in the pass game, as well. I'm happy for him. I'm happy for the success that he's finding. He's finding himself in this league, and I think people are starting to recognize more, the more he gets out and has those opportunities to play."
For Fields, the game was a still a loss, so the moral victories of the moment might not do much to ease the pain.
Still, as Fields' performance showed, he has a huge amount of potential and could soon become a superstar if the Bears commit to making the most of his talent.
