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'Robotic' Bears quarterback Justin Fields says he hasn't been playing like himself
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Date:2025-04-15 19:52:36
The regular season hasn’t started well for the Chicago Bears. Chicago is one of nine 0-2 teams entering Week 3. Bears quarterback Justin Fields gave an honest evaluation of his poor performances to start the season and provided a blunt solution.
“I felt like I wasn’t necessarily playing my game. I felt like I was robotic and not playing like myself. My goal this week is just to say F it and go out there and play football how I know to play football. That includes thinking less and just going out there and playing off of instincts rather than so much say info in my head, data in my head. Just literally going out there and playing football. Just going back to it’s a game and that’s it,” Fields told reporters Wednesday. “That’s when I play my best, when I’m just out there playing free and being myself, so I’m going to say kind of bump all the what I should, this and that, pocket stuff. I’m going to go out there and be me.”
The Bears offense ranks near the bottom of the NFL in total offense and passing offense through two weeks. Fields’ interceptions (3) and times sacked (10) are both tied for second most in the league. He has played indecisively at times and as he described “robotic.”
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Fields indicated his struggles could stem from being overcoached.
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“Could be coaching, I think. At the end of the day, they are doing their job when they are giving me what to look at and stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I can’t be thinking about that when the game comes.” Fields said. “When the game comes, it’s time to play free at that point. Just thinking less and playing more.
"I don’t think it’s too many coaching voices, but I just think when you’re fed a lot of information at a point in time and you’re trying to think about that info when you’re playing, it doesn’t let you play like yourself. You’re trying to process so much information to where it’s like, if I just simplify it in my mind I would have did this.
"I saw a few plays on Sunday, to where if I was playing like my old self, we would have had a positive play. There would have been a few more third down conversions. I think that’s just the biggest thing for me is playing the game how I know how to play and how I’ve been playing my whole life. That’s what I got to get back to doing."
Fields clarified his comments to Chicago media later on Wednesday.
"I'm not blaming anything on the coaches. I'm never going to blame anything on the coaches. I'm never going to blame anything on my teammates. Whatever happens in a game, I will take all the blame," Fields said. "I don't care. If it's a dropped pass, it should have been a pass, put it on me. Whenever you hear anything come out of my mouth to where I would blame it on somebody else in this organization, my teammates, never will you hear that. I just want to clear that up. Just know I need to play better. That's it. Point blank. That's what I should've said in the first place."
Unfortunately for the Bears, things won’t get any easier for them this week. Chicago has a date with the defending Super Bowl champions in Kansas City in Week 3. Plus, the Bears just placed their starting left tackle Braxton Jones on injured reserve with a neck injury.
And if that wasn't enough news coming out of the Bears organization, defensive coordinator Alan Williams resigned Wednesday.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
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