Getty QB Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears is set to make his first career start Week 3.
Justin Fields is set to make his first NFL start for the Chicago Bears this week, and he’ll be heading back to Ohio to do it. The Bears take on the Cleveland Browns Week 3, so the former Ohio State starter should have some friendly faces in the stands.
After veteran quarterback Andy Dalton went down with a knee injury, Fields knew his name would likely be called, and he has been prepping with the team’s starters for the first time.
“I think I had a good idea that I might possibly start, so I wasn’t really surprised by it. Just kind of focused and just trying to get prepared,” the rookie QB said on September 22.
“It’s definitely going to help me,” he added, in reference to playing with the first team. “More than last week of course, just getting reps with the offense instead of just working with the scout offense. It’s definitely going to have me more prepared this week and I’m excited.”
When heading to Cleveland for his first career start, Fields sported a purple suit that set Twitter afire.
ALL the latest Bears news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Heavy on Bears newsletter here!
Fields Sets Twitter Ablaze With ‘Joker’ Look
When the Bears’ official Twitter account tweeted out pictures of Fields and several of his teammates heading to Cleveland, the image of the rookie signal-caller in a striking purple suit, specifically, set people off.
Some merely praised the 22-year-old QB for his impeccable fashion sense:
Justin Fields killing the purple ahead of his first NFL start #BearDown
While other joked his fashion IQ was going to translate to on-field performance:
There were also several Joker comps:
Justin Fields showed up dressed like the Joker its over for the league 😱
For his part, Fields is way more focused on football than his threads, and he said this week he’s focused on winning games, not on winning the starting job.
“I’m going to go out there on Sunday and play my best and just try to come out with the win and that’s my main focus,” he said this week. “My main focus isn’t winning the starting job. I think that’s going to come with time, so my main focus right now is just to prepare the best I can and go out Sunday and execute at a high level.”
Follow the Heavy on Bears Facebook page, where you can weigh in on all the latest Bears-related breaking news, rumors, content and more!
Fields Confident Heading Into 1st NFL Start
Now that he has been named the starter Week 3, Fields has gotten his first real opportunity to practice regularly with the first-team offense. “Just practicing with them every day, I think they have a lot of trust in me.” Fields said about the team’s starters.
“Them being behind my back and just having my back and having confidence in me that I’m gonna go out there and execute. That’s kind of kept me comfortable and kept me poised and confident. … I think I’m ready. I’ve been preparing for this moment for a long time. My mindset doesn’t change, I’m still going to have to play my football and just prepare the best I can. Like I said before, get a lot of practice reps and study, study, study, and get more comfortable and confident with the plays and stuff like that.”
Bears head coach Matt Nagy seems to think Fields is ready, too, despite his insistence that Andy Dalton is going to remain the starter when healthy.
“We’re learning too. Like this week, him getting all the reps (with the starters) in practice, there’s things that we’re seeing that maybe we didn’t see in the first two weeks because he wasn’t getting those reps,” Nagy said about Fields on September 24.
The truth is, Fields making his debut in this manner is a win-win for the Bears. If he balls out and does good things, he’ll likely take the reins from Dalton, regardless of what Nagy is saying publicly. But if he struggles, he can sit when Dalton is healthy and wait until the Bears surround him with a better o-line and sharper weapons. Even the Joker can’t do everything himself, after all.
READ NEXT: Top Bears Insider Gives Concerning Eddie Goldman Update