Justin Fields has been on somewhat of a tear recently, but even with his monster performances, he stays humble, a sharp contrast to another quarterback from his draft class.
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The 2021 NFL draft was historic in the number of generational quarterbacks available. At the top of the list, Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson stood out as instant pros.
A little down the line, Mac Jones, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields resided. In the end, Trevor Lawrence was picked first followed by Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones.
All quarterbacks have taken some time to get their feet under them, but so far, Fields and Lawrence have started to pull away from the pack slightly. Jones has been impressive too, but there isn’t anything flashy about his game so far, and the Patriots’ strong suit is their defense right now.
Lance has yet to play consistently after he was red-shirted last year and was injured this year after starting one full game in rain-soaked conditions.
Fields has taken off lately, showing his dual-threat ability. Two weeks ago, Fields set a record for the most rushing yards by a quarterback in the regular season. However, the Bears haven’t been winning, and a lot of the time, the offense has sputtered in the 4th quarter and especially so in clutch situations.
“Justin Fields can’t throw the football”
Justin Fields:
Hold my beer pic.twitter.com/ImuRgR6iur
— Bears Nation (3-8) (@BearsNationCHI) November 20, 2022
Justin Fields apologized to his defense after doing everything he could unlike Zach Wilson
Last week, the Bears found themselves in a close battle with the Atlanta Falcons. The Bears’ offense had done well to move the ball until the fourth, and when the battle tightened up, they couldn’t deliver.
Fields had 1:47 to lead a game-winning or game-tying drive down 27-24. However, he threw a pick, and the game was over. After the game, Fields apologized to his defense as he felt like he fumbled the chance to score when the defense gave him the opportunity.
My understanding is Fields’ defensive teammates stopped him as he was finishing the apology, told him they had his back. Really cool moment for everyone there, and a nice sign of where Matt Eberflus has taken the culture in Chicago.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) November 22, 2022
The moment comes as a sharp contrast to Zach Wilson earlier this week. In a 10-3 loss to the Patriots, the Jets’ defense could not have played a better game.
Holding an offense to only three points is hard, and New York did everything they could so that the offense had the chance to win. However, a punt return for a touchdown in the dying seconds of the game negated their efforts. A
After the game, Wilson, who finished with 77 yards passing with a 40.9 completion percentage and 1 interception refused to admit the offense could have done more.
Zach Wilson when asked if he let the defense down: “No.”
The Jets lost 10-3 😬 pic.twitter.com/bieN8xaa8v
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 20, 2022
The difference in leadership between the two quarterbacks couldn’t be clearer. Fields had played a spectacular game till that interception, and he still felt like he owed it to the defense to let them know that he was at fault. That’s leadership, and perhaps, it’s why one quarterback’s job is on the line and the other looks like he’s a rising star in the NFL.
