Bear Down, Nerd Up: How Justin Fields compares, statistically, with his peers at quarterback

The Bears blew another fourth-quarter lead. Matt Eberflus’ team let another one slip away. Coordinator Luke Getsy’s offense had a dud against a really good defensive front.

Quarterback Justin Fields’ doubters once again are feeling vocal this week. The reality is Fields is running out of games to prove himself. General manager Ryan Poles has a big decision to make at quarterback in the offseason, and Fields continues to struggle when he faces the NFL’s best defenses.

Here are the numbers, stats and figures that stood out this week. Starting with an update on the situation at quarterback.

Comparison time: Here’s a look at Fields’ past 17 games, statistically, compared to some of his peers. This is looking solely at passing stats, which don’t fully encapsulate the player. Running and mobility are a part of Fields’ game, just as they are for Jalen Hurts.

• Justin Fields: 3,019 passing yards, 62% completions, 24 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 59 sacks.
• Trevor Lawrence: 4,118 passing yards, 66% completions, 19 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 35 sacks.
• Zach Wilson: 3,266 passing yards, 58% completions, 13 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 61 sacks.
• Mac Jones: 3,349 passing yards, 63% completions, 18 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 32 sacks.
• Kenny Pickett: 2,874 passing yards, 60% completions, 10 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 27 sacks.
• Joe Burrow: 4,249 passing yards, 67% completions, 32 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 35 sacks.
• Tua Tagovailoa: 4,610 passing yards, 68% completions, 29 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 31 sacks.
• Justin Herbert: 4,167 passing yards, 67% completions, 24 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 37 sacks.
• Jalen Hurts: 4,333 passing yards, 66% completions, 24 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 43 sacks.
• Brock Purdy: 4,491 passing yards, 69% completions, 36 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, 33 sacks.

This includes some of the most notable quarterbacks who were drafted in 2020, 2021 and 2022. Note: Hurts’ numbers were prior to Monday Night Football.

Fields is one of four quarterbacks on that list who hasn’t reached 4,000 passing yards in this span – along with Zach Wilson, Mac Jones and Kenny Pickett – and all are pretty much either considered a bust, or on their way toward it. When Fields’ stat line is closest to “Zach Wilson, but with more touchdown passes,” that’s not a good thing.

The Fields and Hurts comparisons were fun over the offseason. What if Fields takes a Hurts-like leap in 2023? Remember that narrative? That was great offseason fodder. The touchdowns and interceptions are, interestingly, exactly the same. The difference is that Hurts threw for 1,300 more yards and was sacked significantly fewer times than Fields.

As with wins and losses, some of these stats are heavily affected by circumstances and surroundings. Seven of Fields’ past 17 games were prior to DJ Moore’s arrival. Many of the QBs on this list have had better circumstances than Fields. Hurts and Tagovailoa have outstanding receivers. Purdy has a ridiculous arsenal of weapons.

But the numbers, to me anyway, are pretty stark. Fields is much more in line, purely looking at the passing game, with the likes of Wilson, Jones and Pickett than with the likes of Tagovailoa, Hurts and some of the others.

And, yes, Brock Purdy absolutely deserves to be the current front-runner for MVP. You can’t convince me otherwise.

Moving up the record books: With another 52 yards on four receptions, Moore moved even closer to a top 10 season all-time by a Bears pass catcher. With 1,123 yards on the season, Moore is 10 receiving yards shy of cracking the top 10 best receiving seasons in Bears history.

Alshon Jeffery’s 1,133 yards in 2014 currently ranks 10th.

With three games remaining, Moore could potentially push his way toward a top five season if he has a strong finish. He would need to pass Brandon Marshall’s 1,295 yards from 2013 in order to crack the top five.

Marshall’s single-season record of 1,508 yards from 2012 probably is out of reach, unless Moore has any more of those 230-yard games up his sleeve, like he did at Washington.

Say what?: In their past five games, the Bears have outscored opponents 39-0 in the third quarter.

It’s too bad the NFL doesn’t play three-quarter games. Over those same five games, the Bears have been outscored 40-21 in the fourth quarter. Their opponent outscored them during the fourth quarter in four of those five games.

Fourth quarter: You probably saw this one. Joe Flacco threw for 212 yards in the fourth quarter alone. That’s the most by a Browns QB in any quarter over at least the past 45 seasons, per ESPN Stats & Info.

This, remember, is a quarterback who was watching NFL RedZone on his couch just a few weeks ago.

Fields, meanwhile, has reached 212 passing yards in only nine of his 37 career games.

Takeaway time: The Bears once again totaled three takeaways, picking off Flacco three times Sunday. It was their fourth consecutive game with three or more takeaways as a team. The Bears are 2-2 during that four-game stretch.

The last time the Bears had at least three takeaways in four consecutive games was 2018, when they led the NFL in takeaways. The 2018 Bears had three or more takeaways from Weeks 3-7 (with a bye week in there). Notably, those Bears also went 2-2 during that stretch, including an overtime loss against Miami and a one-score loss to New England.

Tank time: The Carolina Panthers shocked everyone by beating the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Panthers picked up their second victory of the season.

In doing so, it moved New England and Arizona one game closer to Carolina for the top draft pick. The Bears, of course, own the rights to Carolina’s pick thanks to last year’s trade of the No. 1 pick.

If the Panthers, who are 2-12, were to end the season even with the Patriots or Cardinals, who are both 3-11, the No. 1 pick would go to the team with the lowest strength of schedule (measured by opponents’ wins and losses). Right now, Carolina has the worst strength of schedule, but only narrowly worse than New England’s.

Here’s a look at the bottom five resumes, per Tankathon.com:

• No. 1: Carolina (pick traded to Chicago), 2-12, .519 SOS
• No. 2: New England, 3-11, .523 SOS
• No. 3: Arizona, 3-11, .557 SOS
• No. 4: Washington, 4-10, .515 SOS
• No. 5: Chicago, 5-9, .466 SOS