Getty Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears is hit by Andre Smith of the Buffalo Bills during a preseason game at Soldier Field on August 21, 2021 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bills defeated the Bears 41-15. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Fans of the Chicago Bears held their collective breath for a moment in the team’s 41-15 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the second preseason game. When Bills linebacker Andre Smith took quarterback Justin Fields to the turf with a helmet-to-helmet hit that sent Fields’ helmet flying off his head, it didn’t look good for a second.
Fortunately for the Bears and their fans, Fields popped up from the turf looking relatively unfazed. Here’s a look at the play:
ICYMI: Andre Smith Jr gets penalized for roughing the passer following this hit on Justin Fields… 😱
The hit was the result of a rookie mistake by Fields, as he failed to identify at the line that Buffalo was sending yet another blitz, but Smith led with his helmet, which is a definite no-no in the league. He was flagged for the illegal hit and the Bills were penalized 15-yards for helmet-to-helmet contact. After the game, Smith took to Twitter to apologize to Bears fans for the hit on Fields — before trolling them endlessly in ridiculous fashion. Here’s his initial apology:
I’m sorry Bears fans 😭 ion want no smoke 🧡
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Fields Will Learn A Ton From That Hit
Good news for Chicago, though: Their future franchise quarterback got up from the hit with ease, appearing slightly rattled after losing his helmet and headband during the hit. Here’s what Fields, who has already learned a valuable lesson about blitzing linebackers, had to say about the play:
“We had a five-man protection, trying to get Riley Ridley a double move on the back side, because I wanted to take a shot at the end zone. And then they brought that linebacker off the front side. So that’s just a learning lesson for me, of course to handle the protection,” Fields said.
“Just to make sure I’m protected. Because of course if I’m not, then there won’t be a pass. Yeah, just tried to audible the route on the back side and just wanted to get that double move on. And he came off the front side and the guy got a pretty solid hit on me.”
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Fields is Fine After the Hit from Smith
The Bears’ rookie quarterback also made sure everyone knows the hit from Smith didn’t bother him all that much when the game was over.
“It didn’t really hurt to be honest with you,” Fields said. “I think the one thing that hurt was my helmet coming up and hitting me in the eye. But the actual hit was no big deal.”
Smith, however, doesn’t seem to understand what a clean hit is, as that’s how he described his hit on Fields in one tweet:
Clean hit too
He also continued to troll Bears fans with references to his dangerous hit on the future of their franchise, having fun at the expense of their passion:
Now this is funny 😂
It’s fun to the villain sometimes
Smith also noted that “it could’ve been worse” for Fields:
😂 yall really not understanding… it could’ve been worse
While Fields and the Bears dodged a bullet — the 22-year-old quarterback could have really been seriously injured — Fields is fine and should avoid that same fate in the future if he sees the same coverage. For his part, Smith will likely be hearing from the league later this week about a fine for a hit that was both dangerous and illegal.
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