NFC North

This is the Justin Fields that Chicago Bears fans were promised.

The second-year quarterback led his team to a shocking 19-10 upset over the San Francisco 49ers in a rainy, sloppy game on Sunday afternoon, highlighted by some ridiculously athletic plays and a few delicate touch passes:

Justin Fields WHOOP

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/OpCBlgJGAT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2022

Justin Fields making magic happen out of the pocket ⚡️ @brgridiron

(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/61TxDlDfua

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 11, 2022

St. Brown bros 🤝 scoring TDs

📺: #SFvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/97SeF6Trrd

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 11, 2022

So, yes, Fields was absolutely feeling the love on Twitter after his strong start to the 2022 season, especially since he outplayed fellow 2021 first-round pick and Niners quarterback Trey Lance on Sunday:

JUSTIN FIELDS pic.twitter.com/6dZPcWUtir

— Eric™ 🐝🌺 (@mistahswags) September 11, 2022

Justin Fields is playing his whole butt off!!

I’d have to believe that Kyle Shanahan is thinking if we were gonna go with upside at #3

“We shoulda went with the kid that has more, did it on a bigger stage!”

— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) September 11, 2022

Justin Fields > Trey Lance thank you

— Joseph Herff (@JosephHerffNFL) September 11, 2022

Justin Fields outplaying Trey Lance with a significantly worse roster around him

— 500 🏎 (@Kameron_Hay) September 11, 2022

Holy Justin Fields

— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) September 11, 2022

https://twitter.com/ziyanm_/status/1569048129948844035

Watching Justin Fields not be miserable in a Bears uniform is such a treat.

— Adam José (@AdamMenendez23) September 11, 2022

It's almost like Justin Fields is really good and Matt Nagy was not

— Luke Easterling (@LukeEasterling) September 11, 2022

It didn't start well, however. Fields was 3-of-9 for 19 yards and an interception through the air in the first half. And while the conditions didn't help his cause, it looked as though the Bears offense was in for a rough afternoon.

But he figured it out in the second half, leading Chicago on three touchdown drives to seal the win.

After a rough rookie season under former head coach Matt Nagy, Fields looked like the first-round talent the Bears banked their future on in 2021. It was one game, yes, but it came against a talented 49ers team that reached the NFC Championship Game last season.

And Sunday's comeback was all about Fields, who used his athleticism to create several key plays for the team's offense.

Perhaps new head coach Matt Eberflus and his coaching staff have unlocked something in Fields. Perhaps a year of experience made all the difference. But on Sunday, he was a true difference-maker.

And the city of Chicago surely is thrilled with that development.

Fantasy managers in need of a running back following Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season should check in on the availability of Chicago Bears second-year back Khalil Herbert.

With six minutes remaining the fourth quarter of Sunday's season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, Herbert led Chicago running backs with nine carries for 45 yards and one touchdown.

The touchdown gave the Bears a 19-10 lead over the 49ers with 7:21 remaining in the fourth quarter.

.@JuiceHerbert hits the gap to extend the lead!

📺: #SFvsCHI on FOX pic.twitter.com/yhHUepFBeX

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 11, 2022

David Montgomery serves as Chicago's top running back, but it's reasonable to believe Herbert will continue to see playing time following his solid performance on Sunday.

Herbert is certainly worth a pickup for fantasy managers in need of a running back. However, he should either be used as a manager's second running back or be placed on the bench if other options are available.

Herbert is rostered in 41 percent of Yahoo Sports' fantasy leagues, so he is there for the taking.

The Bears selected Herbert in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Virginia Tech. He rushed for 433 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games as a rookie.

Za'Darius Smith has no love lost with the Green Bay Packers.

The two-time Pro Bowler says he felt the Packers abandoned him last season when he suffered a back injury.

"How I was [perceived] here in the building, I came down to here, to a nobody," Smith told NFL reporter Tyler Dunne. "To everybody in building. I was like, 'Damn, why am I being treated like this?' I brought the culture. I helped change this s--t. Why the f--k am I the one being treated like that?"

After Smith made back-to-back Pro Bowls in his first two years in Green Bay, a back injury limited him to one game last season. The Packers released Smith in March, and he chose to sign with the Minnesota Vikings over the Baltimore Ravens in part because he felt slighted by Green Bay.

"I put my all into it. That's why I felt the way I did with Green Bay—I gave that s--t my all. I put my blood, sweat … I put my back on the f--king line. I put everything. And that Year 3, I was treated bad. That's why I'm here now. So, I can play them twice a year."

Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters he did not feel the Packers treated Smith poorly, saying the team "may have a different perspective of how things transpired."

Smith won't have to wait long to get revenge on his former team, as the Vikings host the Packers on Sunday.

The Green Bay Packers have owned the NFC North for three straight seasons, and Aaron Rodgers does not expect that to change anytime soon.

“All the other teams in the NFC North, it seems like every single year, I think their fanbase and their teams feel like, ‘This is our year to win the North.’ Hasn’t really been the case during my time, for the most part,” Rodgers told reporters.

Rodgers has led the Packers to eight division championships over his 14 years as a starting quarterback. Green Bay has won 13 regular-season games for three straight years, a first in franchise history.

If the Packers look a little weaker than their predecessor, it's because they are on paper. Rodgers lost his top target, Davante Adams, to an offseason trade to Las Vegas and the team cut two-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Za'Darius Smith. Making matters worse, Smith immediately signed with rival Minnesota Vikings and seems motivated to prove his old team wrong.

Still, Rodgers has plenty of reason to believe in his Packers. The Bears look like one of the worst teams in football, the Detroit Lions were one of the worst teams in football a year ago, and the Vikings underwent an organizational overhaul this offseason.

The Packers may have a new look in 2022, but they're still the overwhelming favorite for a fourth straight division crown.

Quarterback Justin Fields will serve as one of four captains for the Chicago Bears this season.

Linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive end Robert Quinn and guard Cody Whitehair round out the Bears' 2022 captain quartet.

Put a © on their chest pic.twitter.com/a417pct6i5

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 7, 2022

Fields is entering his second NFL season after Chicago selected the ex-Ohio State star with the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft.

Fields will enter this season as the Bears' starting quarterback for the first time. Andy Dalton served as QB1 to start last year, but a knee injury led to Fields taking over a few weeks into the campaign.

It was a trying season for Fields and the Bears, who went 6-11 and finished three games out of the playoffs. The year ended with the Bears parting ways with general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy.

Fields completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,870 yards (6.9 yards per attempt), seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also rushed 72 times for 420 yards and two scores.

Injuries to his ribs and ankle as well as COVID-19 forced him out for five games in the back half of the year, but Fields did end on a personal high note by completing 26 of 39 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown in a Dec. 20 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

He'll open this season Sunday at 1 p.m. ET against the San Francisco 49ers.

Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari has appeared in just one game since suffering a torn ACL 20 months ago, but he's hoping to be fully healthy for the 2022 season.

Bakhtiari told reporters Monday that he believes he can be expected to start Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

"Yeah, I mean, I'm on the active [roster] just like anyone else," he said.

Bakhtiari participated in 11-on-11 drills Monday, which he reportedly has done since training camp ended. He missed the majority of the offseason program and was activated from the physically unable to perform list a couple of weeks ago.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time first-team All-Pro, Bakhtiari tore his left ACL Dec. 31, 2020. He missed the 2021 season before appearing in last year's regular-season finale, but he didn't finish the game. He said he experienced complications and was shut down for the postseason.

This offseason, Bakhtiari underwent his third knee surgery since suffering the injury. On Monday, he said he's confident he's fully recovered.

"I can get through the season," Bakhtiari said. "It's going to be fine. You have to just manage while playing.

"I'm just getting back in the swing of things. So, I mean, I think there's normal rust and then new normal with three surgeries, so just kind of working that out and figuring out what my routine is."

Bakhtiari's return is surely a welcome sight for Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who will be happy to have his stalwart left tackle back to protect his blindside.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will reportedly sign defensive end Mario Edwards, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

Edwards was released by the Chicago Bears last week despite two years remaining on his initial three-year contract. He appeared in 12 games last season, tallying just eight tackles and two sacks.

The 28-year-old has 16.5 career sacks across seven NFL seasons with the Bears, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Raiders.

Edwards was suspended for the first two games last year for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. A lawsuit filed last October also accused Edwards of "assault, battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress" from an instead that took place at the team hotel, although it was later dismissed.

The NFL investigated and determined not to suspend him under the personal-conduct policy.

Edwards will now get a fresh start with the Jaguars, a defense that had tied for the fifth-fewest sacks in the NFL last season. The squad finished 3-14 while ranking 28th in points allowed during a miserable 2021 campaign, mostly under Urban Meyer.

New head coach Doug Pederson is looking to turn things around in 2022, and Edwards will join a pass-rush that also includes Josh Allen, Dawuane Smoot and former Bears teammate Roy Robertson-Harris.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said Friday he's enjoyed the NFL experience more since he's gone to South America for ayahuasca retreats.

Rodgers discussed the self-love that's emerged from the plant-based psychedelic treatment, and how that's parlayed into his locker room relationships on the Pat McAfee Show:

"I've been really enjoying football since I did ayahuasca.. the locker room is where the chemistry takes place" ~@AaronRodgers12#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/vhKosTUZWh

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 2, 2022

In August, the four-time NFL MVP told NBC Sports' Peter King he's taken two trips to Peru, first in 2020 and then again this offseason, for what he described as a "beautiful experience."

Ayahuasca includes the ingredient N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), which is a Schedule I drug under United States law, but it's not listed as a prohibited substance or a performance-enhancing drug by the NFL, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

League spokesperson Brian McCarthy confirmed to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that Rodgers wouldn't face punishment for ayahuasca use.

The 38-year-old Cal product's play on the field has set the standard at the sport's most important position over the past two years. He's compiled a remarkable 85-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio while helping lead the Packers to a 26-7 record.

There are questions about how Green Bay's offense will perform following the departure of wide receiver Davante Adams, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders in March, but having the future Hall of Fame quarterback at the helm lowers the level of concern.

Rodgers and the Packers kick off the new campaign Sept. 11 when they visit U.S. Bank Stadium to battle the NFC North rival Minnesota Vikings.

Fantasy owners, listen up: Matt LaFleur is pumping the brakes on Allen Lazard's potential breakout season.

"I don't think anybody's clear cut in front of the other guy. I think it's gonna be very much the ball's gonna get spread around and we're gonna try to feature different guys in different spots," LaFleur told reporters Wednesday when speaking about the Packers' wide receiving corps.

Lazard has been hyped throughout the offseason as a potential replacement for Davante Adams as Aaron Rodgers' top receiver. It seems LaFleur will have a more egalitarian approach to targets, though it's a near-certainty one player will stand above the rest as Rodgers' favorite.

Lazard has been hyped throughout the offseason as a potential replacement for Davante Adams as Aaron Rodgers' top receiver. It seems LaFleur will have a more egalitarian approach to targets, though it's a near-certainty one player will stand above the rest as Rodgers' favorite.

In all but one season since 2013, Rodgers' top option has gotten more than 120 targets and has topped the 150-target mark four times. (The lone exception came during Rodgers' injury-plagued 2017 campaign.)

Even if Lazard winds up on the lower end of that spectrum, he will still provide value from a fantasy perspective. He's being picked as WR43 in fantasy drafts, which is way too low for the default top target in a prolific offense.

The Packers drafted Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs to help fill out the receiving corps, but it's hard to believe the notorious perfectionist Rodgers will have much patience for the hiccups of the younger players.

Someone is going to emerge as the trusted No. 1 target; smart money remains on Lazard, even if LaFleur is taking the hose to his rising draft stock.

Jalen Reagor did not live up to expectations for the Philadelphia Eagles since they drafted him in the first round in 2020, but he now has the chance to turn his career around elsewhere.

The Eagles traded the receiver to the Minnesota Vikings on Wednesday, ending his tenure in Philadelphia after just two seasons. Philadelphia will receive a 2023 seventh-round pick and a conditional 2024 pick.

Eagles have traded WR Jalen Reagor to the Vikings for a 7th round pick in 2023 and a conditional 4th round pick in 2024 that would change to a 5th if certain statistical marks are not met. pic.twitter.com/E5G5i1HuXl

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 31, 2022

Jordan Schultz initially reported the trade.

Reagor became expendable for the Eagles in large part because of the team's revamped receiving corps. They have a deep crop of wideouts with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal, all of whom were ahead of Reagor on the depth chart.

Through 27 career games, Reagor has notched 64 catches for 695 yards and three touchdowns. He also spent some time as Philadelphia's punt returner, totaling 321 yards and a touchdown on 35 returns across two seasons. However, in the Wild Card Round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, he muffed two punts and lost one of them in a 31-15 loss.

His NFL career got off to a rocky start when he suffered a shoulder injury that caused him to miss time during training camp in his rookie season. He was limited to 11 games that year after also suffering a torn ligament in his thumb.

The 23-year-old made a name for himself as a three-year starter for TCU. He was named 2017 Co-Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big 12 second-team honors in each of the subsequent two seasons.

Reagor has the chance to revitalize his career with the Vikings. He will need to develop chemistry with Kirk Cousins to prove he was worthy of his draft position.

He'll fight for opportunities on a team that will have Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen and likely K.J. Osborn ahead of him on the depth chart. But the Vikings didn't have great depth beyond that, making Reagor worth the gamble.

Ironically, Reagor was selected one pick ahead of Jefferson in the 2020 draft, a decision that has proved to be a major misstep from the Eagles. Now, the pair are teammates.