The Chicago Bears suffered a brutal 12-7 defeat to the Washington Commanders, dropping them to 2-4 and extending their losing streak to three.
Once again, a fumble by Velus Jones Jr. cost the Bears the game. With Chicago leading 7-6 midway through the fourth quarter, the rookie muffed a punt, giving Washington the ball at the Bears’ 6-yard line. Two plays later, Brian Robinson barreled into the end zone to make the score 12-7.
It was an ugly game from start to finish. The Bears offensive line couldn’t protect quarterback Justin Fields, who took multiple hard hits. As the hits piled up, it seemed he would leave the game with an injury — luckily, he didn’t.
The Bears offense failed to score early in the red zone on fourth-and-goal, turning the ball over in the first half. The inability to score touchdowns in the red zone is becoming a trend for Chicago, and it’s a cause for concern.
Fields’ play was up and down. He’s still holding the ball too long, but he had flashes of brilliance. His 40-yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis was a beautifully thrown deep ball. His 39-yard scramble on the final drive put the Bears in a position to win the game.
Unfortunately, Chicago couldn’t take advantage of that long run and turned the ball over on fourth-and-goal as Darnell Mooney failed to make the game-winning catch at the goal line.
Until Jones fumbled, the Commanders couldn’t move the football. QB Carson Wentz was 12-for-22 for 99 yards and took three sacks.
Defensively, it was one of the best games the Bears have played all year. The team went off script and repeatedly blitzed on third down. As a result, Chicago held the Commanders to 227 yards of offense. The Bears defense was even great against the run, only allowing 128 yards rushing to Washington.
But in the end, a rebuilding team found another heartbreaking way to lose.
