Getty Justin Fields playing in a 2022 game against Miami.
The Detroit Lions have some long-awaited momentum during the 2022 season, but if they want to keep it, they’re going to have to find a way to come up with a second straight win.
Doing so will require showing up in another rivalry game, this one against yet another hated opponent for fans. While the Chicago Bears have a below-average record, however, they have been very competitive in games. That spells concern for the Lions.
Perhaps the biggest reason for concern? Starting quarterback Justin Fields is showing up as a maestro in his second season in the league. Already, Fields seems to have the attention of Dan Campbell as a result.
Speaking on Wednesday, November 9, Campbell was asked about Fields, and paid him a huge complement, comparing him to some of the other elite scrambling and throwing quarterbacks in the game today.
Dan Campbell said watching Justin Fields on film feels like a combo of watching Deshaun Watson from his Houston days, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts.
“Dan Campbell said watching Justin Fields on film feels like a combo of watching Deshaun Watson from his Houston days, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts,” Birkett tweeted after listening to Campbell.
As the coach would go on to say, the Chicago offense can make life difficult for the opposition, so it will be vital for the Lions to try and keep up on the defensive side of the ball to grind out a win.
“This team is a challenge. They play hard on defense. They’re sound. They go after the ball. Offensively, they’ve kind of revamped what they’ve done over the last couple weeks. Averaging 40 carries, 245 yards on the ground, so it’s a big challenge for us. For our defense. We got a lot of work ahead of us,” Campbell said.
As the coach would no doubt know, that work begins against Fields this week, which will be an important contest to remember.
Detroit Held Serve Against Fields in 2021
For all of Campbell’s hand-wringing and respect he is paying to Fields, the team actually played him solidly during his rookie season of 2021.
Fields is 1-0 against Detroit all-time, and has thrown for 209 yards and one interception to go with one sack for 24 yards and one fumble. He also had just nine rushing yards on three attempts. If there’s one advantage to playing against Fields, it’s that he’s proven he can make big mistakes as well as big plays.
For Detroit, the blueprint to success would seem to be following a similar game plan to last year. The team has to clog the trenches up front to slow the run game while finding a way to keep Fields in check as a runner. Forcing him to beat them with the deep ball will be important.
Lions Struggled With Mobile Quarterback Week 1
If the comparison is being made which calls Fields a similar player to Jalen Hurts, the Lions could already be in significant trouble for this matchup.
Easily one of the team’s worst defensive performances of the season came against Philadelphia in Week 1. That day, the Lions were facing off against a quarterback that could expand the play as well, and the team was gashed on offense to the tune of 455 total yards.
Similarly to Chicago, Philadelphia can run the ball, so it would not be a surprise to see them try and ram the ball down the throats of Detroit’s defense up front. The Eagles rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns and were dangerous all afternoon.
While Hurts didn’t throw a touchdown in the game, he didn’t have to. The bludgeoning of the run attack was more than enough on the day, and his scrambling ability was enough to keep the Lions honest.
Detroit will have to step up and prove they’ve learned something from what happened earlier this season. There’s been a few defensive changes since then, but will they matter? That remains to be seen, but stylistically, Detroit could have an uphill climb this week.