Maybe Justin Fields will draw late hit flags in 2024? For the umpteenth time over his three years in the NFL, Fields was hit while sliding. For the umpteenth time, Fields knocked his head on the play. And for the umpteenth time, flags remained securely in the referees’ pockets.
“Y’all see it,” Fields said. “I just don’t understand.”
The non-call was even more head-scratching given the fact that a concussion spotter pulled Fields from the game two plays later to be evaluated for a head injury. Fields was asked about his frustration with the non-calls after the game.
“I don’t even know how to answer that because I don’t want to get fined in any kind of way,” Fields said. “The fact that I had to come out two plays later for a potential head injury on a play that I slid on should speak for itself.”
Fortunately, Fields was fine. He only missed one play– a Tyson Bagent handoff to Roschon Johnson– before re-entering the game.
“They just asked me do I know where I am and stuff like that,” Fields said. “Going through balance tests and stuff like that. Of course I was trying to speed up the process a little bit, but after they cleared me and said that I’m good, I just ran back out there.”
Fields didn’t appear to be any worse for wear after the hit, but that’s not the point. The league has put in a variety of rules to protect quarterbacks, but they don’t seem to apply to Fields. If defenses know that, they won’t have any incentive to pull up when running him down. Fields is a tough dude, but an accumulation of hits like the one he took on Sunday must have a toll.
Chicago Bears
Hopefully Fields receives the protection he deserves next season.
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