Justin Fields Shows Progress in Thumb Injury Recovery; Bears Pleased with QB's Advancement
As anticipated, the Chicago Bears have officially ruled out quarterback Justin Fields for Sunday's Week 8 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent will be making his second career start.
While Bagent is set to start at quarterback on Sunday, Justin Fields continues to make progress in his recovery from the dislocated right thumb he sustained during the second half of the Bears' Week 6 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Head coach Matt Eberflus provided an update on Fields' rehab, stating, "It's good. Yeah, it's good. He's progressing. We're happy with where he is. Again, he's working with the trainers still this week, and we'll give a better update on Monday."
The Bears have emphasized that Fields will return once the swelling subsides, his grip strength returns, and he can fully grasp the football.
Eberflus did not confirm whether Fields has attempted to throw yet but noted there has been improvement throughout the week. Despite his absence on the field, Fields played a significant role in the Bears' Week 7 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders and has been a valuable presence in assisting Bagent as he prepares to face the Chargers.
Fields' contributions off the field were praised by quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, who said, "He was awesome. He was awesome. Put the TV copy on, and you can see those two on the bench, and they didn't miss a thing. Justin was coming up to me, 'Hey, take a look at this.' Going up to [offensive coordinator Luke Getsy], 'Hey, we got this.' He was an integral part of that win."
Bagent performed well in his first NFL start, completing 21 of 29 passes for 162 yards and one touchdown. He focused on avoiding negative plays and relied on the run game and defense to secure the win against the Raiders.
The Bears will aim to execute a similar game plan for success in Los Angeles and hope to have Fields back as the starting quarterback for Week 9 if his thumb continues to heal as expected.
| POLL | ||
28 OCTOBRE | 28 ANSWERS Justin Fields Shows Progress in Thumb Injury Recovery; Bears Pleased with QB's Advancement Will Justin Fields come back? | ||
| Yes | 17 | 60.7 % |
| No | 11 | 39.3 % |
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