Chicago Bears: Which quarterback starts in Week 4?

The Chicago Bears find themselves in a quarterback mess with starter Andy Dalton carrying an injury, rookie Justin Fields struggling and Super Bowl winner Nick Foles hovering in the background.

The Chicago Bears are in their usual crisis. For the past few years, the question has been was Mitchell Trubisky the guy to lead the team back the playoffs. But now, Trubisky’s gone and the competition is between three guys.

Head coach Matt Nagy has to choose between his chosen starter, Andy Dalton, who is currently carrying an injury, their first-round pick, Justin Fields, who has struggled to find his feet so far, or Super Bowl champion and perennial backup Nick Foles.

In Week 3, Dalton was ruled out, so Fields started the game and was beaten up the Cleveland Browns defensive line, getting sacked a total of nine times. That’s not to say that Dalton wouldn’t have had the same treatment as the Bears offensive line just fell apart.

Fields threw for 68 yards as the Bears fell to 1-2 on the 2021 season. It is possible that Dalton will be ready to go in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions, but does Nagy revert to his veteran, or watch his future leader, possibly get beaten up again?

Dalton himself has been uninspiring but did get the Bears a win in the first half of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals before his injury. That game was also Bears fans’ first full glimpse of Fields, who showed his versatility making plays with his legs and arms. However, he did throw an interception.

The question has always been how long will Nagy wait before Fields takes over, but with the poor performance of his offensive line, does he put a veteran in until the pressure is too much not to play Fields? The game against the Lions could answer a lot of questions.

Who will be the Chicago Bears starting quarterback in Week 4 against the Lions?

It’s important to remember that the Lions aren’t the Browns and they don’t have All-Pro Myles Garrett to run their line. They’re also 0-3, which makes this game huge for Nagy and the Bears.

The Lions haven’t been awful through three weeks and they’ve been on the end of some tough losses, but the Bears have to win and it will be a strong statement by whichever quarterback is starting under center.

Should Dalton start, he has to win, as that’s what he’s in the Windy City for. If not, it could be all guns blazing on the “start Fields no matter” what campaign. Let’s not forget that Foles is also waiting in the wings. If he gets some field time, that adds another complication to the situation.

Nagy refused to name his starter, and said all three quarterbacks were in contention, via Pro Football Talk:

"“They’re all three under consideration right now,” Nagy said. “We know where Nick’s at health-wise, but we just want to keep an eye on Justin and Andy.”"

So who knows who starts in Week 4. Will the Fields experiment continue? Or will he be put back into the watch and learn role? What we do know is Week 4 will be huge for the Bears quarterback situation, whoever leads this team out onto Soldier Field.