Former NFL QB and current Amazon Thursday Night Football analyst Ryan Fitzpatrick had some harsh words for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields struggled in Thursday’s Week 6 home loss to the Washington Commanders. He completed 14 of 27 pass attempts for 190 yards and one touchdown against one interception. Fields was sacked five times but did manage 88 rushing yards on 12 carries.
On the post-game show, Fitzpatrick said that Fields should take a “look in the mirror”, and compared him to former league MVP Cam Newton, via ESPN’s Kimberley A. Martin.
Many on Twitter took Fitz’s comments about Fields not being a ‘pocket passer’ as racist, by comparing the the Bears quarterback to former NFL MVP Cam Newton.
Here’s what some on social media were saying about Ryan Fitzpatrick’s analysis:
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At last year’s draft, the Bears traded up via the New York Giants to select the Ohio State product 11th overall. Fields struggled as a rookie, completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,870 yards and seven touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
The Bears were heavily criticized in the offseason for failing to improve the supporting cast around Fields. Chicago’s offensive line has already allowed Fields to take 23 sacks, and Darnell Mooney (241 yards) is the only receiver with at least 200 receiving yards.
Chicago didn’t find a quality replacement for top wideout Allen Robinson, who left in free agency to sign with the Los Angeles Rams. Veteran Dante Pettis is second on the team in receiving with 135 yards.
As such, the Bears have mostly had to rely on the rushing game led by David Montgomery, Khalil Herbert and Fields to anchor the offense. Though Chicago is averaging the third-most rushing yards per game (170.8), they’re 29th in scoring with an average of 15.5 points per game.
The supporting cast around Fields will have to get better if he’s to elevate his game as a pocket passer. For now, Chicago will just have to keep finding ways to hang in there with their rushing game and defense.
