Bears share Justin Fields-Tyson Bagent updates for Chargers game

It looks like Chicago Bears fans hoping to get a second look at undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent in the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game at the 2-4 Los Angeles Chargers will receive their wish. 

According to Larry Mayer of the Bears' website, Chicago head coach Matt Eberflus confirmed on Monday that starting signal-caller Justin Fields is doubtful for the prime-time game at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium because of the dislocated right thumb he suffered in the Week 6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That has Bagent on track to make his second consecutive start for a Bears team that somewhat out of nowhere has won two of its last three games. 

"Working with trainers, [Fields] continues to progress, he's just not there yet," Eberflus explained. "Bagent will be our starter until that time [Fields] is cleared … excited for Tyson's opportunity again this week for him to start in a game."

Bagent, a relatively unknown commodity among casual football fans, completed 21-of-29 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown with a 70.1 adjusted QBR and a 97.2 passer rating in his first-ever pro start, a 30-12 blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. To compare, ESPN stats show Fields began Monday ranked 28th in the NFL among qualified players with a 39.2 adjusted QBR and 13th with a 91.6 passer rating on the season. 

Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports reported Monday afternoon that the Bears have "no current plans to place" Fields on injured reserve, a decision that would sideline him for a minimum of four additional contests. 

"It's possible Fields winds up missing four games," Jones noted. "But his importance to the team weighs heavily in the decision to keep him off short-term injured reserve in the event he can heal more quickly than expected."

Eberflus faced questions regarding his job security when the Bears were 0-4 earlier this month and insisted after Sunday's victory that improved the team to 2-5 that Fields "is our starting quarterback" when healthy. Whether or not Bagent can change Eberflus' mind by next week remains to be seen, but the coaching staff could find it difficult to ignore if the 23-year-old earns a second-consecutive win. 

As of Monday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Bears as eight-and-a-half-point underdogs against the Chargers.