Bears QB Justin Fields falls just shy of NFL record

Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields won't have a chance to break the NFL's single-season rushing record for a quarterback held by Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson. 

Per Kevin Patra of the league's website, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed Wednesday that Fields is dealing with a strained hip and has been ruled out for Chicago's season finale versus the 12-4 Minnesota Vikings Sunday. Fields suffered his latest setback during this past Sunday's 41-10 blowout loss at the Detroit Lions. 

A first-round pick from the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields ends his second pro season with 1,143 rushing yards. Jackson set the single-season rushing record for an NFL quarterback when he tallied 1,206 yards on the ground during the 2019 campaign, and he earned Most Valuable Player honors for his efforts that year. 

According to ESPN stats, Fields heads into Week 18 17th among eligible quarterbacks with a 53.9 total QBR and tied for 15th with 17 touchdowns through the air. While he's contributed eight rushing scores, he also ranks 31st out of 32 eligible players with a 60.4% completion percentage. Only Zach Wilson of the New York Jets is worse (54.5%) in that category. 

The 3-13 Bears will "clinch" the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft by falling to Minnesota if the 2-13-1 Houston Texans win at the 4-11-1 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), Eberflus indicated Chicago's place in the draft order didn't impact Fields' status this week. 

"It's the medical staff, so he didn't clear that hurdle," Eberflus said of Fields possibly playing against Minnesota. 

As for the Vikings, they'll likely be happy to see backup Nathan Peterman instead of Fields. Minnesota can leapfrog the 12-4 San Francisco 49ers to earn the conference's No. 2 playoff seed with a win over Chicago coupled with the 49ers failing to defeat the 4-12 Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.