Justin Fields ruled out for Bears' season finale against Vikings with hip strain

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Bears quarterback Justin Fields will miss the team's season finale against the Vikings, after suffering a hip strain last week against the Lions.

Head coach Matt Eberflus said Fields' hip was sore on Monday, following the Bears' 41-10 loss to the Lions on Sunday, and he had an MRI that revealed the strain. Fields was sacked seven times during Sunday's game in Detroit.

"He's not going to be at full speed this week, and the medical staff has ruled him out for this week. This is not a long-term injury," Eberflus said. "He's just not able to go full-speed, and asked him how it was today. He said it's still real sore."

Eberflus said, had the Bears been in the playoff hunt, rather than playing out the string in a 3-13 season, Fields still wouldn't be able to play on Sunday.

Nathan Peterman will start at quarterback for the Bears.

Peterman, who started the season on the team's practice squad, before joining the active roster in November, learned he'll be starting against the Vikings on Tuesday, and said he's ready to go.

"You're always preparing to be the starter, and they said, 'Hey, we're going to go with you,' and I'm just ready to go," he said.

Peterman, who hasn't started an NFL game since 2018 with the Bills, and has played only six snaps so far this year, with three completions on six attempts for 25 yards, said he's confident in his ability to run the offense.

"Extremely confident. You know, I'm excited. It's been a little bit. Just be ready to get out there with the guys, and play some football, have some fun," he said.

Fields will finish the year with the second most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback, with 1,143, behind Lamar Jackson's record of 1,206. Fields is just the third quarterback in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season, joining Jackson and Michael Vick.

With Fields out, the Bears could be even better positioned to get the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If the Bears lose to the Vikings and the Texans beat the Colts, the Bears would move from the No. 2 pick to the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Eberflus brushed off any suggestion that Fields was being held out to help the Bears' draft position.

"I would just go back to our normal operating procedure," he said. "It's the medical staff. So he didn't clear that hurdle, right? If he'd have cleared that hurdle, then we'd have to go to the next one, which is the coaches. Is he functioning the way he can function to protect himself? And then it's the player. Does he feel good about doing that? So he didn't clear the first one, so that's just where it is."

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