Justin Fields wants Bears fans to support Andy Dalton: 'Cheer for who is out there'

Chicago Bears fans continued to rally around rookie quarterback Justin Fields on Saturday, and they didn't treat veteran signal-caller Andy Dalton the same way. 

Bears fans booed Dalton during the first half of Saturday's game at Soldier Field, a 41-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback struggled to get the offense going, leading just one scoring drive against Buffalo. He finished the game with 146 yards and a score against one interception. 

Although Fields appreciated the support from Bears fans on Saturday, he lobbied for them to also support Dalton while he's on the field. 

"The fans are awesome getting me out there, but you also have to realize that Andy is a human being, too," Fields said, according to The Athletic's Jon Greenberg. "Andy is out on the field right now. So, I think it's kind of disrespectful to Andy, them cheering my name out like that.

"My advice to them would be: Just cheer for who is out there playing on the field."

Many Bears fans believe Fields should be the team's starter come Week 1. However, head coach Matt Nagy reiterated after Saturday's loss that Dalton will still be the starting quarterback against the Los Angeles Rams next month. 

Fields has impressed this summer after being the 11th overall pick in this year's draft. Although he went without a touchdown against the Bills, he threw for 142 yards and added two scores in his preseason debut against the Miami Dolphins last week. 

If Dalton fails to win games for Chicago during the first few weeks of the 2021 campaign, we could see Fields start sooner rather than later.