In recent weeks, arguably no NFL quarterback has had more on his shoulders than Justin Fields. Ironically, the Bears quarterback suffered a shoulder injury on Sunday, leading coach Matt Eberflus to call him Monday night.
Hours later, NFL media reported that Fields suffered a dislocated left shoulder against the Falcons. On Wednesday, Fields described the separated shoulder as “essentially an injury to the AC joint” to torn ligaments. A medical source told CBS Sports that it would be a “shock” if the QB dressed for Sunday’s game against the Jets if the shoulder was dislocated (which no longer appears to be the case), although he was listed as questionable on Friday. and declared by Eberflus as a game time decision.
Saturday afternoon, the Bears would have raised Nathan Peterman from the practice squad to the active roster, in case Fields ends up being unable to play.
The Bears had Fields running the ball in double-digit times per game in four of their last five games heading into Week 11, and he gained 555 yards and five touchdowns on his 62 carries during that span. Fields was busy on the court again last Sunday against the Falcons, running 14 times in the first half alone. He didn’t run as much in the second half, as he was suffering from hamstring cramps.
Late in the game, Fields took off on a designed run to the left side of the formation and was tackled and landed hard on his left shoulder. He stayed in the game, but then the Bears got him transported to the locker room for further evaluation. Fields himself said his shoulder ached and he uncertain how it will affect him in the future.
Chicago travels to East Rutherford, New Jersey to face the Jets next week, then returns home to host the Green Bay Packers ahead of their Week 14 bye. Fields obviously bore great responsibility for the offense, and he’s done pretty well with that lately, though Chicago has struggled to find wins. Should he run out of time, the Bears should look to Trevor Siemian under center, with Peterman as a backup.
