Bears News: Justin Fields talks rivalry game, strong team chemistry |
CHICAGO - Despite how his first two seasons have gone, if quarterback Justin Fields can get a win against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday in Lambeau (3:25 p.m./CBS), then he may have just saved his job for next season.
However, he is not focused on the future but instead is solely determined to beat Green Bay. “We got a game on Sunday. I’m not focused on what happens after that,” Fields said. “It’ll be a fun environment to walk into, their home field. I know their fans are going to be loud because there’s not much to do in Green Bay but watch football. But, it’s going to be a great environment for us to play in.” This season finale, the stakes almost could not be higher. While Chicago is not playing for a playoff spot, the Packers are trying to secure the final seed in the NFC. If the Bears win, then it is highly unlikely Green Bay will make the playoffs. Chicago will seek to play the spoiler for their postseason aspirations and make it the second consecutive season the Packers are not in the playoffs because of a Week 18 loss to a division opponent in Lambeau. “It’ll be a fun environment to walk into, their home field,” Fields said. “I know their fans are going to be loud because there’s not much to do in Green Bay but watch football. But, it’s going to be a great environment for us to play in.” If one were to look at the first week of the season as a reference for how the Bears will play, it would seem all but certain Green Bay would be in the playoffs. However, now that Chicago has gotten past a plethora of injuries that plagued them early in the year and are on a hot streak, especially defensively, this game should be one of the best matchups in the final week of the regular season. “I think we’ve improved tremendously in all phases and I think that’s players and coaches. So, we’ve grown a lot as a team,” Fields said. “Our chemistry has grown with each other. So, excited to go out there Sunday and ball out.” The chemistry on this team is something that appears to be greatly contributing to their success. On offense, Fields and elite wide receiver DJ Moore have had a strong chemistry with each other practically right from the beginning of the season. In fact, Chicago’s loss to Green Bay in the season opener marks the second-lowest receiving total Moore has had in a game all season with 25 yards. His lowest mark is actually from two weeks ago against the Arizona Cardinals. However, tight end Cole Kmet has also developed a strong chemistry with Fields and had his first 100-yard performance of the season in that victory. Further, the chemistry with all of his teammates is something that could potentially even save his job as this level of chemistry is so rare. “The chemistry we have, the closeness we have within our group is amazing to see and it’s rare in the NFL,” Fields said. “So, I’m definitely grateful for all the relationships and connections I’ve made with all of my teammates this year. So, it’s just been awesome.” There have been some talks about late-game collapses being attributed to complacency, especially from the offense. However, speaking with the media this past Wednesday, Fields explained that he feels everyone on the team is incredibly passionate about football, and the chemistry with all of their teammates spawns from that passion and how the players have gotten to know one another on a more personal level than most teams. “You can kind of tell when people really love the game and are really passionate about football and I would say all the guys in the locker room are. So, when you just see their work ethic, how much they care about the game, how much they care about the team and winning, the team’s success, that just brings all us closer together and focusing on accomplishing one goal as a team,” Fields said. “When you know a guy’s story, when you know where (he) came from, you get to connect on a deeper personal level which causes you to have that connection closer. So, when you just know a guy for who he is away from the game, that’s when he really connects with the teammates and really start to grow as a team.” Bears fans will all be looking to see that passion and chemistry on the field this Sunday against Green Bay, hopefully caring some momentum into next season.
