Getty Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears host the San Francisco 49ers at Soldier Field Week 1, and all eyes will be on the young quarterbacks playing for both teams.
It will be the first time Justin Fields and Trey Lance face each other as starting NFL quarterbacks after both were selected in the first round last year. San Francisco selected Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft, while the Bears moved up to nab Fields at No. 11.
Fields and the Bears lost to Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners at Soldier Field last year, but the young signal-caller had one of the best games of his rookie campaign in the loss. Fields completed 19 of 27 passes for 175 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and he also led the team in rushing with 103 yards and a score on 10 carries.
The Bears fell, 33-22, but it was a building block kind of game for Fields, who left the entire 49ers defense in his wake on his most memorable play of the game:
Justin Fields with the UNREAL TD Run
With Fields and Lance both looking to lead their teams to a Week 1 win, Bears top wide receiver Darnell Mooney sent a strong message to the 49ers about choosing Lance over Fields in the draft last year.
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Mooney: 49ers ‘Have to Pay’ for Passing on Fields
Mooney met with the media after practice on August 29, and said his QB is ready for the regular season. He also made sure to let the 49ers know they made a mistake when they passed on Fields.
“I know he’s a dog,” Mooney said about Fields. “I know he does things after practice, during practice and in the offseason. There’s things that he’s shown. I’ve seen exactly what he can do. He’s going to shine for sure. He’s going to blossom. He’s going to prove everything that everybody doubted him on – especially Week 1. That team passed on him. So, they’re going to have to pay a little bit for that.”
Is Fields pondering payback for getting left on the draft board?
“I haven’t talked to him about it, but he knows for sure,” Mooney said, adding: “I’m pretty sure that he has that thought in his mindset.”
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Fields Is Coming Off Excellent Preseason Performance, While Lance Struggled
Lance had an up and down preseason over three games. He looked good in San Francisco’s preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, completing 4 of 5 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t play in the Niners’ second preseason contest against the Minnesota Vikings, and he looked slightly off in the finale, going 7-11 for 49 yards in the 49ers’ 17-0 loss to the Houston Texans on August 25.
The most concerning thing I saw from Trey Lance against the Texans was his ball placement on this throw to Malik Turner on ‘Drift’
These are the kinds of misses you can’t afford when the regular season comes around
Wasted opportunity to pick up some easy yards after the catch
For his part, Fields finished 14 of 16 for 156 yards and three scores in Chicago’s preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns.
14-for-16
156 yards
3 TDs
Plenty of momentum for @justnfields to carry into the regular season. 🎯
The second-year QB looked poised and decisive, and he says he has felt his confidence grow this year. “I definitely feel like I have a better connection with more guys on the team compared to last year,” Fields said after the Bears’ 21-20 win over Cleveland. “I feel like I have built chemistry with a lot of the guys — the receivers, tight ends and running backs.”
Fields hasn’t mentioned the Niners passing on him in the draft, and he’ll be more focused on winning the game than anything else. Still, if the Bears manage to pull off an upset against a team that chose another QB over him — against that very quarterback — the victory may taste just a tad sweeter.