The Chicago Bears were defeated by the Washington Commanders, 12-7, where self-inflicted mistakes and red zone struggled doomed Chicago’s chances at victory.
The Bears had three scoring opportunities inside the 5-yard, and they came away with zero points. Their lone touchdown was a 40-yard touchdown from Justin Fields to Dante Pettis. Chicago’s defense had a valiant effort, but the offense’s struggles cost them a win.
We’re taking a look at 16 key stats from the Bears’ Week 6 loss to the Commanders:
0: Points scored in three trips inside the 5-yard line
The Bears’ red zone struggles continued as they went 0-for-3 against the Commanders. All three of those opportunities were inside the 5-yard line, and they ended with an interception and two turnover-on-downs.
1: Touchdown allowed by Bears
The Bears defense held Washington to two field goals before a muffed punt put the Commanders on the Chicago 6-yard line. Two plays later, Brian Robinson got in the end zone for Washington’s only touchdown of the game.
2: Muffed punts by Velus Jones in last 3 games
It’s been an ugly start of Velus Jones Jr. on special teams. The rookie has muffed two punts in the last three games — in the final minutes — that cost the Bears a chance at victory. This one led to Washington’s game-winning touchdown.
2: Turnovers by the Bears
Chicago needed to win the turnover battle if they were going to win this game. Unfortunately, they turned the ball over twice (a Justin Fields interception and Velus Jones fumble) and the Bears defense failed to force a takeaway.
3: Number of fumbles that cost the Bears a victory in last three weeks
The Bears keep fumbling their chances at victory. For the third straight game, a late fumble has cost Chicago a chance at a win. This time, it was rookie Velus Jones muffing his second punt in the last two games.
3: Sacks by the Bears
Chicago’s pass rush has struggled this season, but they did a good job getting after Carson Wentz. The Bears sacked Wentz three times — thanks to Roquan Smith, Jaquan Brisker and Al-Quadin Muhammad.
4: Number of games where Roquan Smith has had double-digit tackles
Roquan Smith led the Bears with 12 tackles, including one tackle for loss. It’s the fourth time in six games that Smith has amassed 10-plus tackles.
5: Sacks on Justin Fields
Justin Fields was under immense pressure in this game, and he remains one of the most-sacked quarterbacks in the NFL. Fields was sacked five times by the Commanders, although a couple of them were on him.
7: Points scored by Bears
The Bears scored just seven points against a bad Commanders team, which is unacceptable given they were inside the 5-yard line three times in this game. It’s their lowest point total of the season.
18: QB pressures on Justin Fields
Justin Fields was under duress all night from the Commanders’ defensive front. He was pressured 18 times on 45 pass block reps, per Pro Football Focus. That’s not the way to help your young quarterback.
64: Yards run by Khalil Herbert on his longest rush of the game
Khalil Herbert had an explosive 64-yard run on Chicago’s third possession of the game. He got the Bears down to Washington’s 6-yard line, but they were unable to turn it into points.
84: Receiving yards by Dante Pettis
Dante Pettis had the lone touchdown of the night for Chicago, hauling in a 40-yard reception from Justin Fields in the corner of the end zone. Pettis also led the Bears in receiving with 84 yards on four catches.
88: Rushing yards by Justin Fields
Justin Fields has the ability to make plays with his legs, and he led the Bears in rushing for a second straight game. He had 88 rushing yards on 12 carries against the Commanders.
99: Passing yards by Carson Wentz
The Bears held Carson Wentz under 100 passing yards. Wentz completed 12-of-22 passes for 99 yards and no touchdowns. And, somehow, the Commanders still won.
128: Rushing yards allowed by Bears
The Bears have been one of the worst run defenses in the NFL this season. Heading into this matchup, Chicago was allowing 170 rushing yards per game. So 128 is definitely progress for this defense, and no single Washington runner eclipsed 60 rushing yards.
238: Rushing yards by the Bears
The Bears run game was been a top-five unit all season, and they showed why in this game. Chicago amassed 238 rushing yards against a struggling Washington defense. Justin Fields had 88 yards; Khalil Herbert had 75 yards; and David Montgomery had 67 yards.
