Bears QB Justin Fields could take over Bobby Douglass’ spot in record book

Watch out, Bobby Douglass.

Your 50-year old record for most rushing yards in a season by a Bears quarterback might be in jeopardy.

There’s obviously still a long way to go, but the way Justin Fields is scampering all over the field of late, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him eclipse Douglass’ mark of 968 yards, which was set in 1972.

Fields ranks 24th in the NFL with 364 rushing yards on 68 attempts, meaning he’s on pace to finish with 884 yards. A whopping 170 of those yards came in the last two games, but it was Monday night’s 33-14 upset victory over New England where we saw Luke Getsy really unleash Fields by calling 12 planned QB runs.

“It just bring a whole ‘nother element to our offense,” Fields told WBBM 780-AM. “Just putting that in this week -- stealing some plays from the Ravens. It was awesome for sure.”

It wasn’t like Getsy telegraphed his game plan from the get-go, either. Fields’ first 2 runs didn’t come until late in the second drive, with the second carry going for a 3-yard touchdown.

On the Bears’ final two possessions of the first half, Fields ran six times for 48 yards (one of which was a scramble for 20).

This is a great way for the Bears to utilize Fields’ incredible athleticism and it could lead to impressive results in the coming weeks.

Coach Matt Eberflus, however, is wary about having his QB run around too much.

“You want to be creative in the ways that you do things and you want to do it in a safe way, cause it is your quarterback,” Eberflus said Tuesday at Halas Hall. “He has to know when to do things the right way in terms of when to slide, when to get out of bounds and all those things. ...

“It’s very hard to defend. I’ve tried to defend those guys over the years, and it’s very difficult. We just have to do it the right way.”

Numbers game:

While on the subject of stats, let’s dive into a few interesting ones after seven weeks:

• The Bears lead the league with 181 rushing yards per game. The Giants (173.4) and Browns (163.6) are next. Since 2007, only the Ravens of 2019 (206.0) and 2020 (191.9) averaged more rush yards over an entire season.

• Khalil Herbert leads all running backs with 6.2 yards per carry. Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III, Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne Jr. and Seattle’s Rashaad Penny are tied for second at 6.1.

• The Bears remain last in passing with 126.3 yards per game, far behind No. 31 Atlanta (151.7) and the 30th-ranked Giants (160.9).

• Cole Kmet has 12 catches for 148 yards. That means he’s on pace for just 29 catches and 359 yards. Kmet had 60 catches for 612 yards last season.

Snap decisions:

It was interesting to see how the Bears split up their wide receiver reps against New England. Darnell Mooney was on the field for 80% of 71 offensive plays. After that, Equanimeous St. Brown was on for 59%, N’Keal Harry for 42%, Dante Pettis for 31% and Velus Jones Jr. for 18%.

Good sport:

Facing fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line with 27 seconds remaining Monday, Eberflus had a decision to make: Go for the touchdown to make it 40-14 or take a knee.

On ESPN’s “Manningcast,” former Colts and Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning was imploring Eberflus to run up the score.

“Do not take a knee,” he said.

Which is what Eberflus elected to do.

Eli Manning then asked Peyton: “You didn’t like that one?”

Said Peyton: “I think if you have a chance to score 40 in Foxborough, you score 40 in Foxborough.”

Asked about the decision Tuesday, Eberflus said he took a knee out of “respect for the game.”

Mum’s the word:

To no one’s surprise, coach Matt Eberflus didn’t offer much of an update when asked about center Lucas Patrick, who was carted off the field during the first quarter Monday.

“He’s looking at some more doctors today,” Eberflus said. “So right now we’re still in a wait and see.”

Third-year pro Sam Mustipher, who was benched as the Bears inserted Michael Schofield at left guard, replaced Patrick and the offense didn’t miss a beat. Mustipher had started the previous 30 games.

“It was great,” Eberflus said. “Sam is a true pro. ... When we made the switch, he just went to work cause in this business it’s one snap and you’re back in. ...

“He’s a tough guy -- mentally and physically tough. He came in there and did a nice job for us.”

As for Patrick, there may get more news Wednesday as the Bears prepare for Sunday’s game at Dallas.

https://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20221025/bobbin-and-weavin-bears-qb-fields-could-take-over-douglass-spot-in-record-book