Justin Fields Named Bears' Starting QB Week 4 vs. Lions over Andy Dalton

The Chicago Bears will start Justin Fields against the visiting Detroit Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Bears announced the move Saturday while simultaneously noting that Andy Dalton has been downgraded to doubtful with a knee injury.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy told reporters Monday that Fields, Dalton and Nick Foles were all under consideration for the starting job against the Lions:

"They're all three under consideration right now in regards to where they're at, so we'll just kinda have to see in the next couple days where they're all at. We know where Nick's at, health-wise, but we just want to keep an eye on Justin and Andy. Then, for us to stay on that and make sure that we have a plan for any of those."

Dalton began the year as the team's starting quarterback and led the team in Weeks 1 and 2.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Dalton suffered a bruised knee bone during his team's 20-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 19. He missed the entirety of the Bears' 26-6 Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Dalton, an 11-year NFL veteran who is in his first year with Chicago, has completed 73.5 percent of his passes (36-of-49) for one touchdown, one interception and 262 yards.

Fields played the entirety of the Cleveland matchup, but the Bears' offensive line proved no match for the Browns' pass rush, which amassed nine sacks (4.5 from Myles Garrett). That put the rookie in a bad spot, and he went just 6-of-20 for 68 yards.

Foles was inactive for the first two weeks but dressed for Week 3. He started seven of 16 games for the Bears in 2020 and completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 10 touchdowns (eight interceptions) and 5.9 yards per attempt.

The Bears offense needs a jump-start after scoring just 13.3 points per game through three weeks, which is the NFL's second-lowest mark.

We'll find out if Fields provides that much-needed spark after the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.