Through the first quarter and a half of their 25-24 victory over the Washington Commanders on Monday night, the Bears looked like a team ready to have a huge night.
Or to put it another way, they looked more like the team that spanked the Commanders, 40-20, during the 2023 season than the one that lost a heartbreaker on a Hail Mary last year.
Then the momentum shifted. And right up until the Commanders took the lead late in the third quarter, it looked like the Bears were clinging to it like a mountain climber white-knuckling some jagged rocks.
Eventually, they fell off and had to play from behind.
Fortunately, a late fumble by Jayden Daniels — his second turnover of the game — gave the Bears renewed hope. And a 9-play, 36-yard drive that milked the final 3:07 of game clock, and which concluded with a 38-yard Jake Moody field goal, secured the Bears their third victory of the season.
It was their third win in a row and it helped exorcise some demons from last year’s miserable Fail Mary moment.
Monday’s matchup was Part 2 of the ongoing battle between Daniels and Caleb Williams. The former arguably bested the latter again, for the second year in a row. However, this time, the most important stat — the win — was credited to Williams.
Williams was 17-of-29 for 252 yards and a touchdown with a 98.6 passer rating. He also added a touchdown with his legs.
One of the biggest complaints that Bears fans have had this season is that the Bears offense has lacked a competent run game.
That issue was partly remedied against the Commanders as D’Andre Swift rushed 14 times for 108 yards. He also caught 2 balls for 67 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown that brought the team to within two points late in the game.
Rookie Luther Burden had a nice night with 4 catches for 51 yards. DJ Moore and Rome Odunze had modest stat lines but helped contribute in the run game. Odunze had a touchdown nullified by a bogus illegal formation penalty.
And speaking of that, I generally don’t complain too much about officiating because it’s often equally bad for both teams. But I’d have to go against my own stance and say some of these penalties called against the Bears were just atrocious.
Still, the mark of a good team is being able to play through adversity and the Bears did just that.
Defensively, props to the Bears for recording three takeaways, starting with a Daniels interception by Jaquan Brisker. That was immediately followed by a fumble from rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt — triggered by Montez Sweat. And then, of course, there was Daniels’ fumble at the end of the game.
The Bears are still having pass rushing problems. In fairness, Daniels’ elusivity makes him a tough QB to bring down. But the Bears continue to fail to get home. And the more these missed sacks continue to stack up, the more I warm to the idea of acquiring pass rush help before the trade deadline.
The only problem is, the Bears are not a pass rusher away from a title and I wouldn’t want to trade future capital without getting a long-term answer at the position. And the team is already on the hook for a lot of money for Sweat.
They’re just going to have to find a way to get better from within.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t close this post with a couple thoughts about the special teams.
First, the Bears’ kick coverage is about as bad as I’ve seen. They were giving Daniels and the Commanders’ offense great field position all night. That puts their own defense at a disadvantage and asks an awful lot of them to hold the opponent to a short field.
Secondly, I thought it was incredibly impressive for Moody to step in at a moment’s notice when informed that he’d be playing for the injured Cairo Santos and go 4-for-5 on field goals including that game winner in the windy, rainy conditions.
Up next for the Bears is a date with a very beatable New Orleans Saints team, which gives them the opportunity to stack yet another win.
And while I don’t want to count the chickens before they hatch, they follow that game with contests against the Ravens, Bengals and Giants. All of those are winnable games — yes, even against a struggling Ravens team who will likely have the injured Lamar Jackson back healthy.
Like I said though, let’s not put the cart before the horse. I want to see noticeable improvement from the offense this Sunday at Soldier Field. And hopefully, an even more convincing victory.
