3 and Out: Justin Fields sets Bears’ single-season QB rushing record in loss to Eagles

CHICAGO – Justin Fields made it through an injury scare in the fourth quarter Sunday, but his return wasn’t enough in a 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field. Here’s what you need to know:

Three moments that mattered

1. Hold your breath: With 7:05 left in the fourth quarter, Fields scrambled for 18 yards, but was shaken up. Fields left the game and Nathan Peterman. Fields later was seen walking to the locker room with a slight lim but ran back out of the tunnel with 4:20 left and returned to the game.

2. Feeling OK: Eagles QB Jalen Hurts’ 1-yard rushing score, plus the ensuing two-point conversion, gave the Eagles a 25-13 lead with four minutes left, but Fields, upon his return, found Byron Pringle all alone for a 35-yard touchdown with 2:43 remaining to keep the Bears alive at 25-20. The Bears had their issues Sunday, but Fields once again provided optimism against a quality opponent.

3. A scary moment: Lineman Teven Jenkins was carted off the field in the first quarter after suffering a neck injury. Every teammate huddled around Jenkins as trainers worked. It’s tough to see any player potentially seriously injured, but especially for a young one like Jenkins, who has already battled his fair share of adversity.

Three things that worked

1. And, for his next trick: After being strip-sacked and facing a second-and-27 with 7:39 left in the second quarter, Fields, somehow, ducked out of a sack and scrambled for 39 yards.

David Montgomery then had a 9-yard rush for the touchdown to give the Bears a 6-3 lead. Fields finished with 95 rushing yards, setting the Bears’ single-season rushing record for a quarterback – previously held by Bobby Douglas with 968 rushing yards in 1972. The 95 yards also put Fields exactly at 1,000 for the season, joining Michael Vick (2006) and Lamar Jackson (2019 and 2020) as the only QBs to rush for 1,000 yards in a season.

2. Johnson Island: Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, in particular, was pretty impressive limiting Eagles WR A.J. Brown. Johnson had a pass breakup on a touchdown opportunity in the first half and had another break up on a fourth-and-6 in the third quarter. The only true blemish was a 68-yard completion late in the fourth quarter to set up the eventual Eagles’ game-clinching TD.

3. Takeaways:The defensive line continues to stagnate, but the secondary intercepted Hurts twice in the first half. Defensive lineman Mike Pennel later forced a fumble on a Hurts completion in the third quarter for the defense’s third takeaway.

Three things that didn’t

1. Under siege Fields was sacked five times in the first half and six overall. For all the magic, he can’t escape everything. It wasn’t a particularly strong day on the interior of the Bears’ line, mostly due to the loss of Jenkins early on.

2. Running out of chances: Rookie Velus Jones Jr. had his third fumble of the season at a critical moment with the Bears trailing by four with 5:51 left in the third quarter. Jones has been in and out of the lineup and this won’t help his case for more snaps.

3. What’s going on?: Kicker Cairo Santos was close to automatic over two seasons, but he missed his fifth extra point of the season on Montgomery’s rushing score in the second quarter. He only missed two over the prior two seasons. Kickers hit rough patches, but it’s not usually on extra points.

What’s next?

The Bears host the Buffalo Bills on Saturday at Soldier Field for a noon kickoff.