The Bears came so close to starting Nathan Peterman at QB and NFL fans had so many jokes

The Chicago Bears today will be without their star quarterback, Justin Fields, who is out with a shoulder injury. That wasn’t much of a surprise heading into Sunday’s Week 12 action.

What is a surprise for the Bears is who will be their starting QB on the road against the New York Jets: Nathan Peterman.

Well, that’s what we thought until the offense took the field and Trevor Siemian was under center for Chicago.

So here’s what happened: NFL reporters reported 45 minutes before kickoff that Siemian, the Bears’ backup QB, had suffered an oblique injury and Peterman would start the game.

Then a few minutes before kickoff the Bears’ PR team said that it would be a game-time decision and that Siemian could still start.

Mike Garafolo had the initial news:

#Bears starting Nathan Peterman. Trevor Siemian hurt his oblique in warmups today.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 27, 2022

Here was the update minutes before the game:

#Bears media relations tells reporters in the press box it’s a game-time decision now on the starting QB between Trevor Siemian and Nathan Peterman. As game-time decisions go, this is the game-timeiest ever.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 27, 2022

Wtf. Kickoff in 8 minutes and the Bears don't know their starting QB. So Bears. https://t.co/DiY0pIXg4t

— Joe Ostrowski (@JoeOstrowski) November 27, 2022

And then it became official when the Bears’ offense took the field in the first quarter:

All indications (helmet on, coaches talking to him) are it’ll be Trevor Siemian to start for the #Bears following the kickoff here.

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 27, 2022

So. Close.

NFL fans had jokes about Peterman.