Bears vs. Lions: How will Justin Fields handle Aidan Hutchinson?

The Chicago Bears came away with an ugly win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 10.

Ugly.

I’m going to stress that word once again. Ugly.

With the way Matt Eberflus’s defense has been clicking (I can’t believe I’m giving Flus accolades here), a three-point win over the worst team in the league could have and should have been a victory with a double-digit margin. Easily.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy called a horrendous game and once again (I’m screaming this right now), barely got DJ Moore involved against his former team. I will never understand the strategy of keeping your best offensive player out of most offensive plays. Moore was certainly capable of more than doubling his underwhelming stat line of five receptions for 58 yards.

Still, the Bears won.

And if that game taught us anything, the Bears have a very serviceable and reliable backup QB in Tyson Bagent. A .500 record while your QB1 heals is more than respectable and something the Bears should hold onto.

Now, let’s get to QB1.

Justin Fields will start Sunday’s Week 11 matchup against the Detroit Lions in arguably one of the biggest games of his NFL career thus far. Chicago is torn between rolling with Fields in 2024 or moving on with a first-round quarterback. If any time was right to kick off a run of consistent “I’m the guy” play, it’s NOW.

Matchup to Watch: Justin Fields vs. Aidan Hutchinson

One of the biggest criticisms of Fields echoing around Chicago is that he takes too many sacks and sits in the pocket too long. If that rings true for the Chicago Bears in Week 11, it’ll be a long day for Fields with Aidan Hutchinson chasing him down.

Justin Fields has to get the ball out fast against the Lions, and that starts with being aware of the pass rush. Hutchinson has 4.5 sacks on the season and has been a productive pass rusher in every game. He’s a potential game-wrecker.

Still, the Lions’ pass rush is manageable. It’s not one of the league’s elite (yet), which means Fields has no excuses not to put up respectable numbers in his return.

Sunday’s game could come down to how Hutchinson impacts the Chicago Bears offense, which means Justin Fields must be one step ahead of him physically (run away!) and mentally (make the right adjustments at the line of scrimmage.) It’ll be a chess match worth watching.

Who Wins?

Assuming that Getsy doesn’t restrict Fields to a subpar game plan (again), I think Fields will thrive in his return Sunday. And while the Bears may not win the game, I think we’ll see a poised Justin Fields reading the pass rush better than before, which should limit Hutchinson’s impact.

Fields will win this battle, even if the Chicago Bears ultimately lose the war.

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