The Bears take on the Commanders in a primetime Thursday night football Week 5 contest, and Chicago has a lot more than just a win or loss riding on this game. The team is on the precipice of a 15-game losing streak, and head coach Matt Eberflus may see his time as the Bears head coach come to an end if he doesn’t break that streak. All is not lost, however: Quarterback Justin Fields is coming off a red-hot four TD performance against the Broncos last week, and the offense as a whole took a major step up.
Though it’s not for the reasons Bears fans had hoped, this season has become very interesting. Let’s examine some of that interest as we break down the five biggest storylines ahead of Bears vs. Commanders in Week 5.
1
Can head coach Matt Eberflus lead the Bears to their first win, saving his job?
It’s a shame that we’ve just barely passed the first quarter of the season and both the media and fans are calling for head coach Matt Eberflus’s job, but here we are. Eberflus has utterly failed to prepare his team for the regular season, with many of the principles he preaches not being reflected by the players on the field.
He is synonymous with his now infamous HITS philosophy, which is a style of defensive play that involves defends rallying to the football on any given play and tackling as a team. Those values are clearly not reflected on the field, as evidenced by opposing offenses waltzing by the Bears defense and scoring at least 30 points in three out of four games played. Even beyond coaching styles, Eberflus has done a poor job of getting his players to embrace the fundamentals. Chicago’s defense misses assignments, plays soft coverage and misses tackles; all tell-tale signs of inadequate coaching.
With all that baggage in mind, it’s clear to see why the optics of Eberflus and his future with the Bears are not looking good. The rumor mill has churned out murmurings of Eberflus’s fate being tied to a Bears win or loss in Week 5. While the head coach will not be entirely out of the woods if Chicago breaks their 14-game losing streak, a win will certainly keep the hounds at bay and it will give Eberflus a chance at redemption.
The ramifications of Thursday night’s game goes far beyond another tally in the win-loss column for Chicago.
2
Can QB Justin Fields string together another strong performance?
In spite of the feeling of euphoria felt in the first half of last week’s game against the Broncos and subsequent terror that the second half had in store, it can be generally agreed upon that the Bears’ polarizing quarterback, Justin Fields, played very well. Sure, he did throw a game-losing interception, but both he and tight end Cole Kmet clarified that the two had a miscommunication on the play, and it can be expected that the issue has now been fixed.
The fanbases now overflowing frustration has become loud and clear: no more excuses. Get the win, no matter what. In order for the Bears to get the thoroughly refreshing win tonight, Fields will need to have another good game orchestrating the offense. Fields surprisingly did not do his damage last week with his legs, but with his arm. He threw for a career high 335 yards and four touchdowns, and only ran four times for 25 yards. He will most likely return to a more balanced attack; the Commanders won’t give Fields the same wide open throwing windows as the Broncos did.
Fields doesn’t need to throw ropes all over the field in Week 5, but he does need to continue to tap into the instincts he displayed in Week 4. Take the snap, see his first read, throw the ball. If his first and second read isn’t there, he’ll need to escape the pocket. Perhaps the most important thing for Fields to do tonight is to not panic if no one is open on a passing play. He’ll have to be patient and find the open door in the ever-changing pocket and run out of it.
Fields won’t make his mark in the league playing like Justin Herbert or Trevor Lawrence; his calling is being a dangerous passer and runner of the ball. He’ll be looking to grab hold of that potential against Washington.
3
Can the run game make a major impact?
The Bears running game made a more-than-welcome return last week against Denver, as the offense churned out over 170 yards on the ground. Running back Khalil Herbert lead the Bears running attack, exploding for 103 yards on 18 carries, gaining 5.7 yards per tote. The Commanders will be much stouter in their defense than the Broncos were, however, and the running game will be hard-pressed to be productive.
As they did in Week 4, the offense will once again need to be reliant on the run early and often. A willingness to gain tough yards and create long, methodical drives will pull defenders to the line of scrimmage, which will allow Fields to make them pay through the air. Becoming one-dimensional gives Washington’s superb defensive line the go-ahead to have a one-track mind of rushing the passer, which does an up-and-down offensive line no favors. Punching the defense with the left-hook run and the right-hook pass will be crucial in knocking the Commanders down for the count.
4
Can the offensive line hold their own against an elite Commanders front?
Speaking of the offensive line… yeah, it’s not looking good for them tonight. The Commanders harbor a fearsome front that has the likes Chase Young and Jonathan Allen, and they’ll be aiming to humble the Bears line after their solid day protecting Fields last week.
It’s not all doom and gloom, however: not only did right guard Nate Davis’s return help bolster the group last week, but it’s likely that they will get another returning cast member back tonight with left guard Teven Jenkins. With the unit at near full power, they have a shot at imposing their will on an unsuspecting Commanders front. The real problem won’t be protecting Fields; it will be opening holes for their running back.
For the offense to rely on a steady run attack as mentioned previously, the offensive line needs to get some wins against their Washington counterpart. Chicago is stiving for a rebound win in prime time, and the offensive line will need to have their best performance of the season to get the victory.
5
Can the Bears defense do anything to slow the Commanders offense?
If there’s one takeaway from the Bears’ 2023 campaign, it’s that this is not your grandfather’s defense. There isn’t any sort of clever descriptor I can attach to the unit; they have just been downright horrible. Chicago has allowed at least 30 points in three of their first four games, only have two sacks on the season and they’re sorely missing starters Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson. Honestly, it’s not a matter of if the Sam Howell-led Washington offense will score 30 points, it’s really a matter of when.
There isn’t any one aspect of the defense that can be pointed at as a potential weakness going into the game, because all 11 guys on defense are the weakness. They just need to play better: the defensive line has to hold their ground against the run and penetrate the backfield, the linebackers need to take better angles and make sound tackles and the defensive backs need to cover better.
If the defense takes a collective step up, it’s possible they’ll have their best performance of the season.
