The Chicago Bears have finally made the inevitable happen as Justin Fields will get the start in Week 3.
Matt Nagy made the announcement Wednesday as Andy Dalton continues to nurse an injury.
Fields was bound to start soon anyway, but getting the nod in Week 3 will be a tough task for the rookie.
He gets to make his debut on the road against the Cleveland Browns.
That crowd was loud and harassed Houston Texans rookie Davis Mills last Sunday.
While there is the Ohio State connection for Fields, the crowd is not going to take it easy on him at all and Bears fans will see what he is made of right away.
His Season So Far
Fields has seen limited action the first two weeks and hopefully him being the starter means Nagy won’t force the rookie into too many running plays.
That is just asking for injuries and we saw Nagy do the same thing last year, leading to an injury for Mitchell Trubisky.
Fields is still looking for his first career touchdown pass and will have a great shot to get one Sunday.
The Browns offense has been dynamic so far, but the defense was just picked apart by the Texans.
If Mills didn’t have to replace an injured Tyrod Taylor, the Browns could easily be 0-2 right now.
Going 8/15 with no touchdowns and a pick is not exactly a great start for Fields, however, he was forced onto the field after preparing as a backup.
Getting this proper week of preparation should help out in a big way.
No Love In Cleveland
Fields transferred to Ohio State and was easily one of the best quarterbacks to ever pass through the program.
Fans are certainly wishing he was still around this year.
So he should expect to hear a few cheers on Sunday when he is first announced.
After that, the noise will be turned up so he messes up, as opposed to being for support.
Buckeyes fans who also cheer for the Browns want to see Fields succeed, just not against the Browns.
Yet the Chicago offense has been bad so far and the two quarterbacks combined for a total of 83 yards in Week 2 against Cincinnati.
The Browns defense has struggled, but the Bears offense may be worse.
Slotting in Fields as the starter will let the Bears know if they truly have a shot to contend in 2021, or if it will be another year of development in Chicago.
More must-reads: