Our long national nightmare has finally come to an end. The Chicago Bears have won a football game for the first time in 346 days, beating the Washington Commanders 40-20 in prime time to kick off Week 5. Chicago sprinted out of the gates by demanding the ball to start the game and going down to score with ease. They were led by quarterback Justin Fields and DJ Moore, who had himself a career day, to drop 40 points on Washington, the most they scored in nearly three years.
The Commanders offense struggled early and didn’t find their groove until the second half. Though it got too close for comfort at times, they never overtook the lead from the Bears, and Chicago finally got the monkey off their back. A mini-bye week is up next to recover as they look ahead to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6 to potentially start a winning streak, their first one in two years.
Buy Bears TicketsBut before we look ahead, here are our takeaways from the Bears’ win over Washington.
1. Thank goodness the drought is over
Nearly a full year without a Bears victory. 14 straight losses of angst, anger, apathy, and any other words that start with the letter “A” you want to throw in there. On a day when the Bears lost one of their own, this win was needed now more than ever, and it finally happened. It feels like a dark cloud finally gave way to sunshine over Halas Hall, especially given some of the individual performances from Thursday night.
Wins are hard to come by in the NFL and should always be celebrated. But this one feels almost like a playoff victory. That’s what a long losing streak does to a fanbase. Maybe this is the start of a fun few weeks, though, and seeing as how this team is finding a formula that works, a few more victories could be on the way. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Enjoy this one, though. Bears fans have more than earned it.
2. DJ Moore is a killer
So, how exactly did the Bears best the Commanders? It was thanks to a heavy dose of DJ Moore. The Bears are finally prioritizing getting the ball to Moore, and great things are happening. He had a career game, catching eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, one of the best individual performances in team history.
He probably could have had more (no pun intended) too after Fields missed him in the end zone on one play and he was called out of bounds on another. Either way, though, Moore was sensational from the first play to the last. His ability to make strong catches in traffic on one play while bouncing off tacklers on a quick hitch on another is breathtaking. And just when you thought there was a glimmer of hope for Washington, Moore secures a critical third-down reception and races to the goal line to ice the game. The Bears haven’t had a true go-to guy like that in years. But Moore is that type of player, and he’s making the entire offense better. He’ll rip a secondary’s heart out no matter where he lines up.
3. Justin Fields is putting it all together
We’re now exiting anomaly territory and entering consistency territory when it comes to Justin Fields’ play as of late. In just a span of four days, he’s totaled 617 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception. He took last week’s performance and confidently built on it, with the help of Moore, of course.
But even with his playmaker doing what he does best, Fields is looking like a seasoned vet in the pocket. He’s more timely with his throws and isn’t waiting for his receivers to be wide open before pulling the trigger. He’s trusting in his guys to go up and make plays, and that’s paying off. Fields has also improved his pocket presence. Thursday’s game had plenty of examples where he smartly threw the ball away when pressure was bearing down or pulled it and ran after surveying the field for an appropriate amount of time. That’s significant when it comes to his development, and it’s night and day from what we saw in September.
Fields can still clean some things up; there were a few throws that were off that he wanted back. But we’re nitpicking at this point. That’s two phenomenal outings in a row, and like we said before, confidence is contagious. Don’t be surprised to see this stretch continue.
4. Luke Getsy did the best he could with what he was given
Part of the reason Fields is figuring things out is thanks to an improved working relationship between him and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. The problems that persisted on offense were never solely because of one or the other, but now they’re working together more effectively, and it’s showing on the field. Getsy took away some of the cute plays and numerous screen passes and instead got back to the basics that allow this offense to flourish.
That was evident right away, with more deep shots and even duplicating the “tush push” short yardage play that the Philadelphia Eagles made famous over the last year. Almost every play worked to perfection early on (minus a few hiccups), but it was the second half that got my attention.
Getsy’s plans went out the window when Khalil Herbert and Travis Homer went out with injuries, not too long after Roschon Johnson was ruled out with a concussion. Suddenly, fullback Khari Blasingame was the only healthy back available. Getsy improvised and did what he could to keep the offense moving. It took a couple drives to adjust, and Washington’s defensive line teed off on Fields once it was obvious they could only pass, but Getsy utilized Blasingame as a runner to chew up clock and still allowed Fields to throw. That stood out in a big way, and though the circumstances weren’t ideal, he managed to get through it.
5. Khari Blasingame is the unsung hero
Speaking of Blasingame, he deserves to get his flowers after stepping into a tough situation on Thursday. Blasingame became the sole running back left on the roster and filled in as a pure runner and pass blocker, something he’s not used to doing at all. He excelled in a tough spot and ensured the Bears got out of Washington with a win.
Blasingame carried the ball eight times for 26 yards, the most carries he’s ever had at the NFL level. He totaled just three carries in his career prior to this game. He kept the ball moving with four and five-yard gains and did just enough as a pass blocker to keep Fields upright. He’s not the MVP of the game, but he might have been the MIP (most important player) given the injuries at the position. Blasingame hasn’t been utilized enough given how effective he can be when in the game. It’s nice to see him get his shine and play such an important role in the win.
6. The defensive rookies are finding their footing
The Bears prioritized defense on Day 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens, as well as cornerback Tyrique Stevenson. Through four games, it’s been a tough go for all three players, but we’re finally beginning to see results after Thursday’s victory.
Dexter was the brightest spot and had the best game of his young career. The defensive tackle only notched one tackle but broke through the Commanders line on multiple occasions to disrupt quarterback Sam Howell. Dexter had one pass defensed and two QB hits, showing he’s worthy of playing more snaps going forward. According to PFF, he finished with six QB pressures with a pass rush grade of 82.4% and a pass rush win rate of 22%. Not too shabby.
Stevenson also had a better outing after he was baptized early this season by elite NFL wide receivers. He finished second on the team in tackles with nine (five of which were solo) and had one pass defensed. He still struggled at times in coverage, but he’s playing with a high motor and continues to show impressive skills playing the run. Like Kyler Gordon last year, Stevenson should turn a corner later this season and stack solid outings on top of one another.
Pickens is the one who still needs work after his last two performances, but the needle is finally starting to move with these players as a group. That’s what needs to happen at this point in the season.
7. Matt Eberflus still needs to fix his halftime adjustments
Can someone explain what this team does at halftime? In basically every game, the Bears come out looking as flat as can be while opposing teams, offense and defense, make key adjustments to either come back or pull away. It happened Week 1, Week 2, Week 4, and now Week 5 as the Commanders drove down the field with ease to get their first touchdown of the game.
Head coach Matt Eberflus continues to not anticipate changes coming from the opponent, specifically on defense. When opposing offenses become one-dimensional, the defense can’t stop them. Washington did not call a single run play in the second half and instead relied on Howell to make things happen. Once it was apparent they were going to only throw the ball, Eberflus should have brought the heat quicker than he did. That only happened well into the second half, and it created unfavorable downs for the Commanders.
In slight defense of him, however, Eberflus lost quite a few defenders and was playing with reserves in the secondary for much of the game. Perhaps it’s a different story if they were fully healthy. But at the same time, it’s a trend that needs to be bucked. Hopefully, a mini-bye week to assess everything yields positive results.
8. Greg Stroman has a place on this team
When the Bears’ injured cornerbacks eventually get healthy and return to the lineup, hopefully that doesn’t mean Greg Stroman Jr. moves back down to the practice squad. He’s earned a spot on this defense for the rest of the season.
Stroman had another solid performance and made one of the plays of the game late in the first half. The cornerback intercepted Howell on the first play of Washington’s drive late in the second quarter, leading to the third Bears touchdown of the half. He also took down Howell on a corner blitz, showing versatility coming off the edge.
The stats backed up his day, too. Stroman notched seven tackles (one for loss), one sack, one pass defensed, and one QB hit. He was everywhere and proved capable as a nickel cornerback. Even when Kyler Gordon returns, Stroman should slot in as the backup. He’s more than earned it.
9. Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins are forces in the middle of the line
The majority of the offensive line played a solid game on Thursday, but having Nate Davis fully back as well as Teven Jenkins ramping up made a huge difference. The Bears guards handled a ferocious Commanders defensive line with relative ease, especially early on, and Davis and Jenkins played a major role. Jenkins, playing limited snaps after he was activated off injured reserve, didn’t allow a single pressure when he was in the game.
Davis, meanwhile, allowed two pressures and two QB hits but made his biggest impact in the run game. He helped spring Khalil Herbert multiple times before he left with his ankle injury and looked conditioned out there in his second full game back. If the Bears can figure out who’s playing center, they’re going to be fine on the interior of the line.
10. This one was for Butkus
The football world came to a stop on Thursday afternoon when it was announced that former Bears legendary linebacker Dick Butkus had passed away. He was larger than life and truly embodied what it meant to be a Chicago Bear. Seeing as it came just hours before kickoff, there was no way this team was losing. You could feel it in the air.
This one was for No. 51. No analysis needed.
