The Chicago Bears welcome in the Washington Commanders to Soldier Field for Thursday Night Football and attempt to do something they haven’t done in nearly 20 years: Beat Washington at home. Since their last victory in 2003, the Bears are 0-4 against the Commanders at home but are in a prime spot to stop the skid.
The Commanders are riding a four-game losing streak after their only victory of the season came in Week 1. They’re banged up and appear to have a divide between their head coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Carson Wentz. The Bears are not much better at 2-3, but have some momentum on their side after nearly completing an impressive comeback against the Minnesota Vikings last week and getting their offense more on track.
This should be a competitive game, but it’s being played on Thursday night and that means pretty much anything out of the ordinary can happen. Here are our bold predictions ahead of Bears-Commanders.
1
The Bears score a touchdown on their opening drive
When it comes to scoring points, things haven’t gone the smoothest for the Bears offense through the first month of the season. The one area they have excelled in, however, is getting points on their opening possession of the game. Since Week 2, the Bears offense has scored on their opening drive of each game they’ve played. The only problem? They’ve settled for field goals every time but one.
On the other side, Washington’s defense has allowed first quarter points in every game but one. With the Bears success with scripted plays and the momentum captured during last week’s loss to the Vikings, the Bears are going to start out hot once again, only this time with an opening touchdown drive.
2
Justin Fields has his best game as a Bear
Could we really see Justin Fields’ best game as a Bear come on Thursday Night Football? It seems unlikely on the surface, given the short week usually provides sloppy football. But Fields is coming off arguably his best game last week against the Vikings when he completed 16-of-21 passes for 208 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. He also posted a quarterback rating of over 100 for the first time in his career.
Both he and the staff admit they feel significant progress is being made and while a short week can be seen as a detriment, it can also be an opportunity. This will be Fields’ first game on short rest, and he won’t have as much time to prepare for his opponent. That can actually benefit a young player as game plans could be more pared down due to the lack of preparation. With how we’ve seen Fields progress and the fact he’s facing a Commanders defense that struggles to stop the pass on a short week, he’s ready to come out swinging.
3
Cole Kmet scores his first touchdown of the season
It’s been a slow start to the season for Cole Kmet. A popular breakout candidate during the preseason, Kmet is just now finding his place in the Bears passing game. He caught four passes for 45 yards in last week’s loss, both season highs. Kmet has increased his catches by one in each consecutive game for the last three weeks and the Bears are pushing the ball downfield towards the endzone more frequently as of late. That’s a recipe for Kmet’s first touchdown in almost two years.
Even with his solid campaign last year, Kmet didn’t find the endzone once in 2021 and it’s been more of the same to start this season. As the Bears and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy get more comfortable, opportunities should open up for the tight end. That begins on Thursday night.
4
Jaylon Johnson gets his first interception of the year
Reinforcements are on the way for the Bears secondary as top cornerback Jaylon Johnson returns from his quad injury this week. Johnson missed the last three weeks with his injury and the team’s cornerbacks have had a tough time as of late in his absence. With him back in the fold, it will be a boost to the Bears defense and he just so happens to be facing Carson Wentz, who has thrown six interceptions already this season.
Johnson has yet to be targeted this season, but if anyone is going to make the mistake of trying him, it will be Wentz. Washington is missing a few key offensive skill players and will rely on receivers such as Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel to push the ball downfield. Johnson will finally be tested and he’ll come away victorious with his first interception of the year and the fourth game in a row the Bears get a pick.
5
Robert Quinn gets a sack off Charles Leno Jr.
Charles Leno Jr., a longtime stalwart of the Bears offensive line returns to Soldier Field for the first time since he was released from the Bears during the 2021 offseason. His primary task? Keeping Robert Quinn, the Bears single-season sack record holder, at bay for the majority of the game.
Quinn has fallen back to Earth this season with just one sack and six total tackles over the course of five weeks. It’s a far cry from his historic production last year, but he will find a way to notch his second sack of the year against the Commanders. Wentz is being sacked four times a game on average and Leno has surrendered three on his own already. With how long Wentz holds the ball compounding the problem, the conditions are right for Quinn to hit pay dirt.
