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Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
CHICAGO — The Chicago Bears faced a devastating loss on Sunday, falling 19-13 to the Minnesota Vikings. To make matters worse, their quarterback Justin Fields suffered a right-hand injury during the third quarter of the game.
The extent of Fields’ injury and the duration of his absence from the field are currently unknown. However, coach Matt Eberflus revealed in a postgame news conference that X-rays on Fields’ hand came back negative. The quarterback is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to further assess the situation.
According to a report from Fox Sports, Fields dislocated his thumb on his throwing hand but managed to pop it back into place and continued playing. However, he eventually had to leave the game as he was unable to maintain a firm grip on the football.
The injury occurred when Fields was sacked by Vikings defensive end Danielle Hunter early in the third quarter. Despite the pressure, Fields attempted to pass the ball to running back Darrynton Evans while falling to the ground. Unfortunately, Fields landed awkwardly on his right arm, resulting in the injury.
Following a visit to the injury tent, Fields walked back to the locker room with his right hand wrapped in a towel. Initially listed as questionable, he was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Eberflus stated that Fields expressed a desire to return to the game but was unable to grip the ball properly for throwing. Fields, who is 25 years old, concluded his performance with a 6-of-10 passing record, accumulating 58 yards and one interception against the aggressive blitz of the Vikings. He also rushed eight times for 46 yards.
Eberflus mentioned that he had a brief conversation with Fields after the game.
“His demeanor is great,” Eberflus said. “He goes, ‘Coach, we’ll see where it is tomorrow.’ He was positive and he was upbeat.”
In Fields’ absence, rookie Tyson Bagent took over as the quarterback. Bagent holds impressive records in NCAA, including the all-time touchdown passes (159) and Division II records for passing yards (17,034) and total touchdowns (171). He joined the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in May and secured a spot on the initial 53-man roster during cutdown day, triumphing over current Browns quarterback PJ Walker, who was part of the Bears’ offseason team.
The product from Shepherd University recently rose to QB2 on the Bears’ depth chart, surpassing Nathan Peterman, who served as Chicago’s emergency quarterback on Sunday.
“We believe in Tyson,” Eberflus affirmed. “We obviously had him at No. 2 for a reason, and we have great confidence in him.”
Unfortunately, Bagent’s regular-season NFL debut turned sour just three plays in when he was strip-sacked by Vikings safety Josh Metellus. The fumble was recovered by Minnesota linebacker Jordan Hicks and returned 46 yards for a touchdown, extending the Vikings’ lead to 19-6.
Reflecting on the incident, Bagent acknowledged, “There was a bit of miscommunication, but ultimately, I should have ensured both hands were on the ball. Protecting the ball is a crucial aspect of my role, and I need to improve in that area.”
However, later in the game, Bagent led the Bears on a 77-yard drive, taking only 4 minutes and 56 seconds. He executed a 1-yard quarterback sneaker for a touchdown, reducing Minnesota’s lead to 19-13. In Chicago’s final possession, with an opportunity to lead a game-winning drive, Bagent underthrew wide receiver DJ Moore after completing his seven previous passes and was intercepted.
Bagent’s overall performance resulted in a 10-of-14 passing record, accumulating 83 yards and one interception.
“I thought he started out, was not great at first, but again that’s everybody,” Eberflus commented. “That’s 11 guys in there operating. But I think once he got settled down, he put that drive together, and then you could see what he can do. He could do off-schedule stuff. He can escape. He made a few nice throws there, and his mobility is good. I thought his timing was good on a lot of those passes that he threw. So I thought he looked good.”
Eberflus assured that the Bears have a contingency plan in place should Fields be sidelined for an extended period. However, he emphasized the need to wait for the outcome of Fields’ MRI before making any decisions regarding Chicago’s offensive strategy.
“We’ll see where Justin is,” Eberflus mentioned. “In terms of the identity of it, we’re going to have to look hard and see how we can get the ball down the field and score points. That’s the No. 1 thing we have to do.”
Prior to Sunday’s loss, Bagent had only seen limited action during Chicago’s three preseason games. Notably, he is the sole Division II quarterback currently included on a 53-man roster across the entire league.
“I’m obviously very confident in myself,” Bagent expressed regarding his mindset in the event he starts in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. “Nothing changes for me. Since day one, I have been preparing as if I was going to play the whole game. That’s how I approach the game. I like to stay informed at all times. This week won’t be any different. Back to the drawing board and getting ready for Vegas.”
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