PFF ranks Justin Fields top QB of Week 9 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears took a tough, tough L in Pittsburgh on Monday Night Football. But if there was one silver lining, it was Justin Fields’ continued development as the team’s starting quarterback. After an up-and-down first half, Fields and the offense put on a show in the fourth quarter, and nearly catapulted the Bears back into the win column. As you know, the Bears couldn’t seal the victory, but Fields' individual performance was enough to impress the team at Pro Football Focus, who grade players each and every week.
That’s right. Fields wasn’t the top rookie quarterback in Week 9, he was the best QB in the entire league.
It’s easy to understand why. Except for one or two miscues, Fields was accurate for pretty much the entire night. That included several deep balls to Allen Robinson, Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet. Fields also continued to show off what’s becoming a signature throw for him: running to his left and throwing across his body for big gains with impressive touch.
But Fields didn’t just make big plays with his arms. He also impacted the game with his legs. Fields was effective on both designed runs, and decisive scrambles. He also extended several plays with his feet, which allowed his receivers to get open for impact plays.
The best moments were obviously his go-ahead touchdown drive with under three minutes to go in the game. He delivered back-to-back strikes to put the Bears up by a point. The first was a 39-yard picture perfect fade to Allen Robinson. Then, he hit Darnell Mooney running towards the side of the endzone, in stride, for a 16-yard score.
In the end, Fields set a career high with 291 yards, on 17-29 passing, with one touchdown and one interception.
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