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Breaking down Justin Fields' magical 13-yard run

Story by Larry Mayer

Justin Fields' sensational 13-yard scramble in last Sunday's win over the Falcons had to be seen to be believed. A litany of adjectives has been used to describe it, with some observers comparing the Bears quarterback to famous escape artist Harry Houdini.

On third-and-8 from the Chicago 35 midway through the third quarter, Fields dropped back to pass. He was immediately pressured by outside linebacker Bud Dupree, who quickly penetrated into the backfield from the left side of the defense.

Fields alertly stepped up in the pocket and braced for contact. Dupree went up high and tried to wrap up the quarterback around the shoulder pads, but Fields ducked down and wrestled out of Dupree's grasp.

Fields slid to the right—and right into the arms of defensive lineman David Onyemata. The 6-4, 300-pounder grabbed Fields around the left thigh, but the quarterback somehow spun around 360 degrees, keeping his balance on his right leg, and escaped from Onyemata.

Fields took a quick step inside to avoid defensive lineman Calais Campbell and then bounced outside to the right, racing for 13 yards and a first down. Fields was swarmed by ecstatic teammates after running out of bounds on the Bears sideline.

"He's special," said running back Khalil Herbert. "You never know what he's going to do in that pocket, being able to make plays and get out of sacks. He's special. I shake my head on the sideline watching because I don't know how he does it."

Receiver DJ Moore called it a "Houdini act," a sentiment that coach Matt Eberflus agreed with.

"How he got out of that, I'm not sure," Eberflus said. "Like DJ said, Houdini. That was pretty cool."

During the play on the TV broadcast, CBS announcer Chris Lewis excitedly exclaimed: "Are you kidding me? The man is a magician!"

Fields, himself, struggled to explain exactly how he produced the remarkable play.

"I don't even know, to be honest with you," he said. "Straight instincts. You're going to have some of those plays throughout the game. I actually can't tell you what happened."