Bears QB Justin Fields says he has separated left shoulder

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Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields said Wednesday that he is dealing with an injury to the acromioclavicular joint in his left shoulder and will evaluate how he feels later this week before deciding if he will play against the New York Jets.

Fields said that his injury was a separated shoulder. It's similar to an AC joint. My understanding is that.

The quarterback landed on his left shoulder after he was tackled by Dee Alford on a first-down run. Fields could play Sunday if the Bears classify him as day-to-day.

"We'll see where it goes, and then we'll know more, and I think by Friday we'll know more," Eberflus said. "You work through the week, and we'll see where it is and hopefully we're getting better and better every single day."

The Bears practiced Wednesday. The quarterback's projected status on the injury report was classified as limited because he felt pain in his injured shoulder.

Fields said that the pain was high with throwing and finishing throws. I'm going to work all week to get that motion down and see what happens on Friday and Saturday. How does it go?

He wasn't sure if he would have to wear a harness or a brace on his left shoulder.

Fields went through a series of exercises to test his range of motion and strength after being medically cleared to practice. He said that he felt the most pain on his follow-through and that he felt uncomfortable handing off the ball on runs.

The quarterback doesn't plan on using his right hand to hand off the ball.

I don't think that's true. Fields said that he wouldn't play if he had to do that.

Once a player is cleared by the medical staff, the next decision is up to the player.

"After the player says 'yes, I'm good to go,' and then the last hurdle is, or the last thing you have to say is, 'okay, because of who this guy is, is he really, truly ready to go?','" He's cleared to go once the medical staff says he's cleared. We have to decide if he can go full speed. Is he able to operate? That is like any other thing. We had an injury with a defensive back. Is it possible for him to go full speed and still operate? The player and the coaches have the final say.

Although the Bears have lost four games in a row, Eberflus still sees a level of importance in playing Fields.

Eberflus said that if he is ready to play, he will. We feel that way as well. He will play the game if he is ready to go. The reason is because we want to win. The goal is to win the game. Getting the experience of playing a game is a lot of fun. This season is important because of that.

Eberflus said the decision would be up to him if he is cleared by the medical staff, and while his competitive nature has led him to play through other injuries, most notably cracked ribs and a partially torn hip muscle.

Fields said that he wouldn't sacrifice playing in the game for the sake of his health. I have to sit out two or three more weeks after I get hurt because I don't want to sacrifice playing in this game. Again, just seeing how my body feels, listening to my body and making sure I don't force anything. It's just seeing how it works.

Jets coach Robert Salah said Wednesday that he will start Mike White at quarterback in place of Wilson, who will be inactive. Fields might not be able to play in Week 12.

When asked if the offense had let the Jets' defense down, Wilson said no.

Fields was asked about a report that he apologized to the Bears' defense in Atlanta after they failed to score on their final drive.

Fields said that he did. Before I went to get the X-ray, I wanted to speak to the team. They gave us that opportunity because the defense held them to a field goal at the end of the game. We want to tie the game or win the game for the team whenever we can.

I apologized for that pick. They did a good job of holding them to a field goal. We needed to score a touchdown because they didn't give up one. We didn't do that because they held them to a field goal and all the offense needed to do was score. We have to improve in those situations.