Justin Fields didn’t feel the need to debate whether the speculation about his Chicago Bears future is fair.

He has been around Chicago long enough to know the noise comes with the territory, even as it heads toward a fever pitch this month. With five games to play in the NFL season, the Bears have major decisions ahead, and many involve the quarterback position as Fields nears the end of his third season.

Will the Bears draft USC quarterback Caleb Williams or North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye this spring if they have the top draft pick, courtesy of the trade with the Carolina Panthers? Will Fields convince the Bears over the final five games to stick with him beyond this season instead? It’s chatter that dominates every sports section, website and radio station in town.

But as Fields prepares to start the final stretch against the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field, he said he is trying not to stress out about what lies ahead.

“Life isn’t fair,” Fields said when asked whether the speculation was fair. “I’m just focused on what I can control, and the rest is in God’s hands. If I’m here next year, if I’m not, football doesn’t define who I am as a person. My happiness will still be in the same place, will still be in God. And really just football-wise, life stuff in general, I think my faith in God, my hope in God is just so much more than anything that can be thrown at me on this earth. That’s why I don’t really stress over stuff like that, over stuff that I can’t control. I know that God’s got me and I’m going to be good.

“I’m very blessed in the position I am in, and I think a million people would love to be in the position I am right now. I’m not taking that for granted and just taking each and every moment I have every day up here to the fullest.”

Fields has had practice dealing with the outside noise given the Bears’ struggles over his three seasons.

They are 7-26 in games he has started, including 2-6 this season as he has thrown for 1,587 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions, with a career-high 92.3 passer rating and 29 sacks. Some of the losses were on him and some were not — but there most always was rampant debate about which category a game resided.

“Shoot, since I got to Chicago, y’all don’t hold back,” Fields said. “Shoot, I hear it from y’all (reporters). I hear it from fans. I don’t take any of it personal because I know everybody’s entitled to their opinion on certain things.

“I’ve had moments in my life to where I’ve wanted things to happen that didn’t go that way and it ended up going another way and it worked out better than I ever could have imagined. That’s really why I just don’t stress about stuff that happens. I’m just controlling what I can control and am just being the best person I can be and striving to be the best player I can be.”

Still, Fields undoubtedly can help his case to the Bears — or another team should the Bears move on — in the weeks ahead.

He said his goal is consistency. And that continues with the Lions, against whom Fields threw for 169 yards and ran for 104 yards in a Nov. 19 loss in his first game back from a dislocated right thumb. The Bears totaled 334 yards and 26 points in the game but suffered a fourth-quarter collapse after leading by 12 points.

The run game will be worth watching as three of the top four rushing performances of Fields’ career have come against the Lions. They also gave up 147 yards and 132 yards on the ground to Fields last season.

“They’re going to change some stuff up on us, and we’ve got to be prepared for that,” Fields said. “We’ll probably see something that we didn’t see the first game. The biggest thing is just sticking to our rules, foundational stuff, no matter what they bring us. Protection stuff and all that. So if we take care of everything up front and run the ball like we’re supposed to, everything will take care of itself.”

After the Bears eked out a 12-10 win against the blitz-heavy Minnesota Vikings in Week 12, there should be a feeling of opportunity in the rematch against the Lions. Over the last four games, the Lions have given up 30.3 points and 373.5 yards per game.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said he wants to see the Bears get better at scoring off sudden-change situations, such as takeaways, and wants to see them generate more explosive plays.

“You score touchdowns by getting the explosives, right? We all know that,” Eberflus said. “But how do we do that in the running game? How do we create advantageous positions for the offense through motions, formationally, to create those advantages, those angles that we want to have so we can pop those runs. And in the passing game, we’re going to have to take more shots downfield to create those explosive plays. Those things are there. We just have to take advantage of it.”

Eberflus expressed optimism Fields can execute on such plays.

“I think they’re coming. I really do,” Eberflus said. “I know Justin throws a really good deep ball and he’s proven that, and we’re excited about our opportunity this week.”

And for Fields, whether he worries about it or not, this week is an opportunity to turn the chatter in his favor. Because as he knows, it’s not quieting anytime soon.

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