George Paton’s decision during the 2021 NFL Draft didn’t look good for much of Sunday’s game, but his guys got the last laugh in the Broncos’ 31-28 win Sunday in Chicago.

After Drew Lock, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien and quarterback-turned-receiver-turned-quarterback Kendall Hinton split the starts at quarterback in 2020, Denver’s general manager still needed a franchise quarterback and owned the No. 9 overall pick in the 2021 draft following a 5-11 campaign.

The draft, Paton’s first calling the shots in Denver, started with quarterbacks being taken in each of the first three picks. With Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Zach Wilson (Jets) and Trey Lance (49ers) off the board, Paton’s front office shifted its focus to a game-changer on the other side of the ball despite Justin Fields and Mac Jones still sitting on the board.

The Broncos selected Pat Surtain II, who quickly became one of the best, if not the best, cornerbacks in the league. Sunday was the first time Surtain faced Fields, who was taken two picks later by the Bears.

Fields used a perfect 16-for-16 start, including three second-quarter touchdowns, to lay the foundation for a career day.

“You saw rhythm. You saw timing. You saw that the receivers were in phase with everybody,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said postgame.

“It was just really good flow to it, and you could feel that during the course of the day.”

Fields tossed a fourth touchdown, matching a career-high, in the third quarter and had the first 300-yard passing game of his career, finishing with 335. His favorite target was DJ Moore, who finished with 131 yards and a touchdown. While Surtain spends much of his time shadowing opposing team’s top receivers, he wasn’t on Moore for the 29-yard touchdown that got the Bears on the board.

Surtain and the Broncos defense shut down Fields for the final 19 minutes and 11 seconds of the game. The third-year cornerback led the Broncos with two passes defended, including a timely pass break up on Chicago’s final drive, which ended in a Kareem Jackson interception.

“It’s a tough quarterback to contain. We wanted to make sure we were cage rushing him and that he had to beat us in the pocket and not out of the pocket,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Fields, who also rushed for 25 yards. “We felt like if we could keep him there, then we’d get our chance at an opportunity and certainly that’s what happened on the last play where Kareem intercepted it. We had him right kind of where we wanted him – in the pocket.”

Fields also had a fumble scooped up and returned for a touchdown by former college teammate Jonathon Cooper. The play tied the game with just under seven minutes to play.

“I’ve always been a Justin Fields fan,” Cooper said. “I know what type of ballplayer he is. I know how electrifying he can be with his legs. Then, also, I feel like he’s a good quarterback.”

A couple of more Broncos stops were enough to ruin Fields’ day against the team that declined to draft him a couple of years ago.

“Guys were protecting up front. Receivers were getting open. We were definitely in a rhythm,” Fields said. “At the end of the day, we lost the game, so it doesn’t really matter.”