Justin Fields gets another NFL honor this week

LAKE FOREST – For the first time in his still young NFL career, Justin Fields is feeling the praise of those around the nation for his play, not just those in Chicago.

That’s because the quarterback has enjoyed a strong four games, with his last two featuring record-breaking rushing performances. After his effort last Sunday, Fields received his second honor from the league in as many weeks.

The signal caller was named the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for his exploits in a loss to the Lions at Soldier Field. This award, voted on by the fans, is given to a player who had the best rushing performance in a given week.

Last week, the quarterback was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 178 yards and a score against the Dolphins.

Fields certainly earned it with the performance as he gained 147 yards on 13 carries with two rushing touchdowns. The last score, a 67-yard run in the fourth quarter, broke the team’s longest gain by a quarterback on the ground that he set the week before against the Dolphins at Soldier Field (61 yards).

In the last two games, he’s rushed for 325 yards, the most in that span in NFL history, with his 555 yards rushing in the last five games being the most in the league in the Super Bowl era.

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa was voted the FedEx Air Player of the Week after he went 25-of-32 for 285 yards and three touchdowns in a win over the Browns last Sunday at home.

In their honor, FedEx will join with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a $2,000 donation will be made to Historically Black Colleges and Universities in both player’s names.

In 2022, Fields has rushed for 709 yards on 104 carries with six touchdowns while also completing 58.9 percent of his passes for 1,489 yards with 12 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.