At the end of their Week 8 matchup against the Washington Commanders, the Chicago Bears lost a game that they deserved to lose through the first 59 minutes of regulation. But boy did they have a chance to steal their fifth win of the season against a team that is jockeying for position in the NFC wild card race.
The Bears erased a 12-0 second-half deficit to go up 15-12 with 25 seconds remaining in the game. Unfortunately for Chicago, the 25 seconds was enough time for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to position the Commanders into territory for a hail mary, and with the benefit of multiple offensive holds and a tipped ball from cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, Noah Brown caught a wide-open pass to give Washington a 18-15 win at Northwest Stadium.
Here are two studs and three duds from the loss to the Commanders.
Chicago Bears studs
The Bears rushing attack/D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift ran for 129 yards on 18 carries, including a 56-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The Bears finished with 196 yards on the ground. The Bears entered Week 8 ranked 24th in the league for averaging 104.8 yards per game.
Gervon Dexter
Dexter finished with six total tackles. He played well on the defensive line, but his special teams snaps stood out on Sunday. Dexter blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter to keep the Bears within five points.
Bears Duds
The Bears pass-blocking
The offensive line didn’t do Williams any favors in his homecoming to Washington D.C. on Sunday. Left tackle Braxton Jones’ injury played a major factor for the offense. Jones’ replacement, rookie offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie struggled in relief against the Commanders offensive line. Williams was facing pressure almost immediately after the ball was snapped, leading offensive coordinator Shane Waldron to dial up numerous screen passes.
Shane Waldon
Speaking of Waldron, the first-year offensive coordinator for Chicago will likely be grilled during his press conference for a call he made in the fourth quarter. On 3rd-and-goal from the Washington one-yard line, Williams handed the ball off to offensive guard Doug Kramer. The Bears’ sixth-round pick in the 2022 draft promptly fumbled the ball and gave the Commanders possession with 6:18 to play in the fourth quarter.
Bears situational defense
The Commanders had the ball with one timeout down 15-12 with the ball at their 24-yard line. Daniels hit Zach Ertz for 11 yards with 12 seconds to play. After a timeout, the Bears played soft coverage allowing Terry McLaurin to run an out route for 13 yards to the Washington 48-yard line with six seconds to play. The soft coverage allowed Daniels to be in a better position to throw a hail mary.
And then Stevenson did the one thing a defensive back can’t do on a hail mary, he tipped the ball up, allowing Washington to prevail.
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