The first prime-time matchup of the year for the Chicago Bears (0-4) is upon us as the team prepares to take on the Washington Commanders (2-2) on Thursday Night Football. Both teams are coming off crushing losses, as the Bears blew a 21-point lead to the Denver Broncos to lose 31-28.
The Commanders, meanwhile, lost a thrilling overtime game to their division rival Philadelphia Eagles, falling 34-31. It’s a get-right opportunity for one of these teams to get back in the win column and regroup after a mini-bye week.
Buy Bears TicketsThursday Night Football is a unique brand, one that can feature sloppy play or incredible moments. Sometimes they’re one in the same, too. Here are our bold predictions for the opening game of Week 5.
1. Justin Fields builds off last week's performance
Justin Fields finally had a game that fans had been dreaming about ever since he was drafted back in 2021. The third-year quarterback played out of his mind against the Broncos, going 28-of-35 for 335 yards with four touchdowns. Though there was an interception and a lost fumble in there, Fields was dialed in for much of the game, rarely missing any throws and playing with confidence.
Sometimes, when a player finally breaks out in a game, it can carry over for the next few weeks. Look at Mitchell Trubisky back in 2018. After his dominant performance against the Buccaneers, he had three straight games with over 300 yards passing. Fields may not have had the same success, but confidence is contagious. He said he feels better with where the offense is at, and he’ll have another good outing against the Commanders.
2. Teven Jenkins rotates at left guard
Reinforcements are coming to the Bears offensive line, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s not confirmed as of this writing, but signs are pointing to Teven Jenkins getting activated off injured reserve and returning for the game against the Commanders. Just in time to take on elite defenders such as Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.
Jenkins hasn’t played in a meaningful game since New Year’s Day and may need time to ramp up after coming back during a short week. He’s been out since mid-August with a lower leg injury. He’ll get his reps, but the Bears staff will choose to rotate him with either Cody Whitehair or Lucas Patrick (whoever doesn’t play center out of those two). It’s a similar solution they implemented early last year with Jenkins when Patrick was coming back from his hand injury. It may disrupt the chemistry on the line at first, but Jenkins being out there is an upgrade over Whitehair. We’ll take the limited snaps for the time being.
3. Darnell Mooney gets his touchdown
If anyone has this game circled on their calendar, it’s wide receiver Darnell Mooney. He may not have a personal vendetta against the Commanders, but chances are he remembers their matchup from last year, when he had the opportunity to catch the game-winning touchdown but failed to cross the goal line on fourth down. Instead, he bobbled the ball and fell one yard short, sealing the win for Washington.
He’ll get his redemption on Thursday as teams continue to zero in on D.J. Moore, hauling in a grab for a score as he officially claims the WR2 back following the Chase Claypool fiasco.
4. Byron Pringle scores against his former team
Speaking of revenge games, what are the chances we see a few more targets for Commanders wide receiver Byron Pringle? The former Bear re-joined offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy this offseason when he went to Washington, and though he’s been reduced to the team’s WR4 at best, who’s to say the Commanders don’t dial up a play for him to score on his former team?
Pringle saw two targets last week, hauling one of them in for 15 yards while playing 18 snaps on offense. Against this banged-up Bears secondary, seemingly anyone can get open and find opportunities. Watch Washington do just that with Pringle to get a little revenge on the Bears after an up-and-down 2022 season.
5. Bears lose, but Matt Eberflus keeps his job
Unfortunately for fans of the Bears, their favorite team won’t break the dubious losing streak that continues to hang over Halas Hall. The Bears will come out of FedEx Field with their fifth loss of the season, as well as their fifteenth in a row dating back to last year. The calls for head coach Matt Eberflus to be relieved of his job will be loud and frequent, but the Bears won’t make that move.
You can read this as something of a mild prediction considering the Bears have never let go of a coach during the middle of the season. But this team is under new management at the top, and there are rumors swirling that another bad loss could mean the end for Eberflus. But that won’t be the case. This game will have a close result, and with a mini-bye week, many players could be coming back from injury. The front office will see this as one final get-right opportunity with a healthy roster, meaning Eberflus gets another chance to show he can be a competent coach.
