Dolphins couldn’t stop Justin Fields on his record-setting day — until it mattered most
The clock was ticking toward the two-minute warning, the Miami Dolphins were in danger of a meltdown and Justin Fields took off again.
It was a bit of deja vu for the Dolphins’ offense: The Chicago Bears’ pocket collapsed and the quarterback turned it against Miami. He scrambled for 12 yards, rolled to the ground and got up with a record. Over and over again, Fields tormented the Dolphins with his legs, and he did it so frequently he set an NFL’s single-season record for a quarterback with 178 rushing yards.
Linebacker Jaelan Phillips called him “a monster.” Star wide receiver Tyreek Hill admitted he “didn’t know Justin Fields was that fast.” Coach Mike McDaniel said he was “elite” on the run and “as fast as any skill-position runner.”
For most of its 35-32 win Sunday, Miami (6-3) had no answer for him — until it mattered most.
The Bears (3-6) scored touchdowns on every other drive for their first seven possessions and trailed by just three when the Dolphins failed on a fourth-down play at Chicago’s 14-yard line.
Fields quickly got the Bears moving, getting them to their own 42 on a devastating scramble. He slipped out of a near sack by linebacker Bradley Chubb, then shook off an open-field tackle by safety Eric Rowe for a 13-yard gain on third-and-7 to keep a threatening drive alive in Chicago.
On the very next play, linebacker Melvin Ingram delivered the play Miami badly needed: a sack. The 5-yard loss knocked the run-heavy Bears off schedule and Chicago punted three plays later.
“Super clutch,” Phillips said. “It doesn’t get more clutch than that.”
The Dolphins’ next drive, however, was a three-and-out, so Miami’s defense needed to make one more stand to escape Soldier Field with a win.
Field again got the Bears moving with a scramble — this one to set the record — and Chicago came out of the two-minute warning with a first down at its own 42. A first-down run by Bears running back Khalil Herbert barely went anywhere, a second-down sack by linebacker Duke Riley pushed the Chicago back into third-and-10 and then the Dolphins got a break.
Fields tried a long throw to Chase Claypool and cornerback Keion Crossen got away with no call, even as he grabbed the Bears’ wide receiver from behind. With the game on the line, Claypool then dropped a fourth-down pass and Miami survived.
“Justin Fields is legit, man. ... He’s going to be incredible in this league,” Phillips said. “Obviously, we have some adjustments to make moving forward, but, at the end of the day, we came up clutch when we needed to.”
This story was originally published November 6, 2022 at 7:01 PM.
