Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy praised Justin Fields for a "bounce back" effort in Week 4, as the rookie quarterback earned his first victory as a starter with a 24-14 win over the Detroit Lions.
"I can't state it enough with Justin, bouncing back from last week," Nagy told reporters Sunday in Chicago. "What a great job for him to be able to respond to what happened, to learn and to get better. That's what this game is all about.
"You are a rookie quarterback in a tough environment in your first start, [then] you come back and you bounce back at home. He did that."
Fields completed 11 of 17 passes for 209 yards and threw an interception in the win. He completed just 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards and was sacked nine times in his first start, a Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 26 in Cleveland.
"I know when I'm in a rhythm and I know when I'm feeling good," Fields told reporters. "I felt good coming into the game and knew it was going to be a good day."
Nagy, who named veteran Andy Dalton the Bears' starting quarterback this off-season, would not say who the team's starter will be going forward. Dalton started in Week 1 and Week 2, but missed the last two games due to a bone bruise in his left knee.
"We will work through it," Nagy said, when asked who will start at quarterback going forward. "All we wanted to do [Sunday] was win the game and go 2-2 and be able to talk about everything else as we go.
"We will see where he [Dalton] is at. Justin had to focus on [Sunday] and winning that game and getting better. I think he did both of those."
Fields told reporters he found out Saturday that he would start Sunday.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft is 25 of 52 for 347 yards in four appearances this season. He threw two interceptions and no touchdown passes in his first four games. Fields also picked up 55 yards and a score on 17 carries.
Dalton completed 36 of 49 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown and an interception in two starts this season. He ran for 38 yards on four carries.
"All I wanted to see with Justin was exactly what we saw [Sunday], which was growth," Nagy said.
Bears running back David Montgomery ran for a game-high 106 yards and scored twice in Sunday's win, but left the game in the fourth quarter due to a knee injury. Nagy said he didn't know how serious the injury is when asked at his postgame news conference.
Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney hauled in five catches for a game-high 125 yards. Linebacker Khalil Mack logged a sack and a fumble recovery in the win.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff completed 24 of 38 passes for 299 yards and two scores, but lost two fumbles.
The Bears (2-2) face the Las Vegas Raiders at 4:05 p.m. EDT Sunday at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada. The Lions (0-4) face the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. EDT Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
