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The Chicago Bears will take on the Carolina Panthers Week 10. They will be playing on a short-week in the primetime Thursday Night Football matchup. While the quick turnaround is usually bad news for injuries, it was reported on Sunday that Chicago is hopeful that quarterback Justin Fields will actually be able to return on Thursday against Carolina. Fields has been sidelined since Week 6 after dislocating his thumb.
#Bears GM Ryan Poles says on the ESPN 1000 pregame show that there's a possibility Justin Fields plays Thursday night against the Panthers.
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) November 5, 2023
Fields remains unable to play consistently. There have been games this season where he looks unstoppable and others that people wonder if Chicago should even let him be the starter over Bagent. Fields has thrown for 1,201 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions through six games. He was known as a dual-threat quarterback with over 1,100 yards rushing last season, but only has 237 yards and a touchdown on 47 carries this year.
Fields’ backup Bagent has 477 yards passing, a touchdown and three interceptions heading into Week 9. He has added 27 yards and two scores on nine carries. The Panthers’ defense hasn’t been great, but still, the Bears would project to have a better chance to come away with a win against them with Fields under center.