Bears coach names his starter after Bagent leads the way against the Raiders
The Chicago Bears on Sunday blew away the Las Vegas Raiders, forcing three turnovers in a 30-12 beatdown at Soldier Field. The game was notable in large part because of the Bears’ quarterback, an undrafted rookie who won his first-ever NFL start.
Tyson Bagent stepped in for the injured
and managed the game superbly, throwing for 162 yards and a touchdown against the Las Vegas defense. The efficient performance has raised questions about what the future looks like under center in Chicago, seeing as Fields is still on the mend due to a hand injury and hasn’t exactly lit up the NFL when healthy.
“We don’t know where Justin is”
For Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, there is no debate, and no question. Fields remains his man.
“Justin is our starting quarterback,” Eberflus confirmed after Sunday’s game. “Tyson’s the backup, he came in and did a nice job. We don’t know where Justin is, we’ll see where he is, if it’s a week-to-week thing, we’ll assess it more (Monday).”
Fields, who suffered a dislocated right thumb in the Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has not been placed on injured reserve as of yet. For the time being, the Bears expect Fields will return within the next four weeks — but as Bagent revealed on Sunday, he’s a more-than-capable option while Chicago waits for former first-round selection Fields to recover.
Bagent, the NCAA’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns, was not selected during the 2023 NFL Draft. A chance meeting with Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy put him on Chicago’s radar, and he took advantage of preseason opportunities to beat out P.J. Walker for QB2 duties behind Fields.
Now, the rookie is 1-0 in his NFL career, and he appears in line to start against the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday as the Bears seek back-to-back wins.
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