Luke Getsy Made Interesting Argument Why Justin Fields Must Play
Two sides have formed on the debate of what the Chicago Bears should do during the remaining two weeks of the season. Some believe it’s important to keep trying to win games. The Bears are a young team. Their core must start learning how to finish. Others believe the season is over and draft position next April is more important. Rest key guys like Justin Fields and get an early start on 2023. Matt Eberflus has remained emphatic there will be no tanking. If Fields is healthy, which he is, then he plays. Thus far, the explanations for why haven’t been satisfactory to many fans. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy then took his turn.
His approach was somewhat different. Rather than generalizing why Fields should play, he offered a specific reason he should suit up for the remaining two weeks. It has to do with the opponents they’re playing. People have overlooked how important these games could be for Detroit and Minnesota.
“There’s a tremendous amount that he can grow. Division games, going into a playoff atmosphere this week. I think just a lot to grow. And then obviously we’ve talked about it in here, one of the most important things that we’re trying to get done this year was create as many experiences and opportunities to expose him to, and so we’re going against two really good opponents to finish this thing off.”
Remember, the Lions remain in the thick of the NFC wildcard race. At 7-8, they must win their last two games to have a reasonable shot of making the playoffs. So Ford Field will be rocking. As for the Vikings, they’re still battling to claim the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs while also holding off San Francisco for #2. Both these games will have high stakes.
Luke Getsy knows how much Fields could benefit in those games.
If he wants to be a winning quarterback in the NFL, he must learn how to handle an atmosphere where the opponent is desperate. The best QBs can navigate those challenges and still win the game. Fields has had some great performances against top completion. However, he still hasn’t found a way to close games out. Knocking Detroit out of the playoffs or ruining Minnesota’s hopes for the top seed would be a great confidence boost going into this off-season. Of course, he can’t do it alone.
Luke Getsy must get the rest of the offense to help him. That won’t be easy. Injuries have ravaged the Bears this year. Thankfully it appears reinforcements are on the way. Teven Jenkins is expected to return from his neck injury. The same goes for Cody Whitehair. Even Chase Claypool might have a shot to play after missing multiple weeks with a knee issue. That should ease some of the burdens on Fields to make all the plays. Whether it’s enough remains to be seen. Either way, the Bears intend to give it everything they have.