|
With both coming off subpar showings, Fields and Mills will
square off Sunday when the Chicago Bears host the Houston
Texans.
Fields attempted only 11 passes in the Bears' 27-10 loss to the
Green Bay Packers last Sunday, matching his lowest total as a
starter and marking the fourth time he has attempted fewer than
20 passes in a start in his brief career.
Two of those occasions have come this season, as Fields has
attempted just 28 passes while throwing for 191 yards through
the first two games. Those conservative totals, coming on the
heels of his uneven rookie season, have yielded questions
concerning whether Fields has the trust of his coaching staff,
namely offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
"Everybody in the building knows that Luke knows what he's
doing," Fields said. "We put full trust in him knowing that he's
going to put us in the best position to win. If our offensive
coordinator thinks the plays he's given me are going to help us
win the game, that's all I care about."
The Bears (1-1) rushed for 180 yards on 27 attempts against the
Packers, paced by David Montgomery, who finished with 122
rushing yards, and Khalil Herbert, who added 38 on just four
attempts. The Bears' lone touchdown came via Fields' 3-yard
scoring run in the first quarter.
If Chicago is reluctant to let Fields orchestrate the offense,
its ground attack appears solid enough to provide him some
temporary cover.
"There's a commitment first off to it, it's declared," Texans
head coach Lovie Smith said of the Bears' run game. "You look at
the last game, it showed two excellent running backs, an
offensive line that blocks, an athletic quarterback that can
cause problems that will open up some things with that.
"It will be a big challenge for us. We haven't played our best
ball versus the run, haven't tackled as well as we need to. All
of those things should come into play this week."
Mills leads an offense that mustered only two red-zone
opportunities in two games while converting just 7-of-28
third-down attempts. Houston ranks 29th in offense with 533
yards. Mills' 5.6 yards per completion ranks above one other
quarterback with two starts this season: Mitch Trubisky of the
Pittsburgh Steelers.
How much responsibility Mills shoulders in advancing the Texans
(0-1-1) offensively is up for debate given his relative
inexperience. To Mills' credit, he understands that the buck
stops with him.
"Just keep straining, try to make plays," Mills said. "We do it
out here in practice. We did it all camp, throughout preseason,
just got to execute once we get in the games. It starts with me.
I've got to make all the throws and I haven't done that. Just
got to keep pushing for what we've been training for and I think
we're ready to perform. We've just got to do it."
Bears linebacker Roquan Smith is listed as questionable with a
hip injury for Sunday's game. Cornerback Jaylon Johnson
(quadriceps) also is questionable, while receiver Velus Jones
Jr. (hamstring) is doubtful.
Chicago has ruled out linebacker Matthew Adams (hamstring),
defensive back Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) and tight end Ryan
Griffin (Achilles).
Tight end Brevin Jordan (ankle), cornerback Isaac Yiadom (thigh)
and offensive tackle Austin Deculus (ankle) were ruled out for
Houston. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins (knee), tight end
Pharaoh Brown (shoulder) and defensive lineman Kurt Hinish
(foot) are questionable.
--Field Level Media
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
