Final Score: Bears 25 Commanders 24
The Bears won their 3rd straight game this week in their second consecutive 25-24 victory! The win on Monday Night Football allowed Chicago to exercise some demons from last year’s devastating loss on the same field in Washington D.C. This time around, kicker Jake Moody was the hero. In his first game activated as a Chicago Bear, Moody nailed a 38-yarder as time expired to secure the victory.
Coming off of the bye week, Ben Johnson’s squad demonstrated some concrete, positive changes against the Commanders. The rushing attack was unrecognizable (in a good way) with undrafted lineman Theo Benedet now in at left tackle, replacing Braxton Jones. D’Andre Swift was able to really get going with perhaps his best performance in a Bears uniform. The defensive front was also able to create real pressure for one of the first times all season. It’s very encouraging to see the coaching staff and players learning in real time how to improve their play.
The last couple of wins haven’t been pretty, but this week presented another ugly, gritty, road win that you love for your team to be able to pull out-a win that the Bears of the past few years would never secure. If they start cleaning up penalties and playing smoother football, the Bears could make some noise down the stretch.
Bright Spots
Rushing Attack Stepped Up
As stated previously, the run game was unrecognizable this week. Coming into the week with one of the worst rushing attacks in the league, the Bears averaged an impressive 5.4 yards per carry while posting 145 total rushing yards (more than the Commanders, who has one of the league’s best running games). Running back D’Andre Swift impressed with 108 rushing yards on 14 carries, averaging 7.7 yards per carry (Week 3: 2.5 yards per carry; Week 4: 2.7 yards per carry). This improvement can be attributed to multiple areas. The swapping of left tackles from Jones to Benedet certainly comes to mind. However, I also think that the coaching staff was able to smack some sense into the offensive line over the break. RT Darnell Wright and LG Joe Thuney looked great out there as huge holes were being created for Swift on both sides of the line.
Run Defense Did a Full 180°
In addition to improving offensively in terms of the run game, the defensive front was also able to do a complete magic act in its first week post-bye. The Bears truly were the worst team in the NFL against the run heading into the week, getting absolutely shredded every week. On MNF, however, Chicago managed to allow only 125 rushing yards to the team that still leads the NFL in both total rushing yards and yards per carry. Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt-coming off of 6.7 ypc and 7.9 ypc games- averaged only 3.6 yards per carry. This was as big of a challenge as the front could have been faced with, and it performed very well.
The linebackers graded out insanely on PFF, with Tremaine Edmunds finishing 2nd in the NFL in run defense grade, with TJ Edwards coming in at 4th. Edwards also finished 11th in the NFL in overall defensive grade on the week. They were both flying around the field.
Edge rusher Montez Sweat also deserves his flowers in the run game. The only player that LB TJ Edwards finished behind in PFF run defense grade this week was none other than Sweat, who finished as the best player in the NFL against the run. Chicago had 3 of the top 4 players against the run this past week. Whatever defensive coordinator told the defense this week, he better keep saying it.
D-Line Got a Healthy Amount of Pressure
The defensive line was also able to make some noise rushing the passer. Dennis Allen dialed up a healthy numbers of blitzes, something he had not done in the first 4 weeks. As a result, Montez Sweat, who has been quiet this season, led the team with 5 pressures of Jayden Daniels. Gervon Dexter Sr. racked up 1.5 sacks. This is a welcome improvement that will be even more important and helpful against quarterbacks who are less mobile than Jayden (most quarterbacks!).
Glaring Issues
Still Struggling with Penalties
The biggest issue that remained as the Bears left D.C. this week was penalties. They out-penalized the Commanders 9-5 this week, almost doubling them up. Chicago has had more penalties than its oppenent in every contest this season, usually by a significant margin. Although this week the team inarguably got hosed on more than one penalty call, this still has been a consistent issue all season long.
Standout Performers
D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift was undoubtedly the star of this game. With 108 yards on the ground and 67 through the air, he led both teams in both rushing and receiving yards. His 55-yard TD catch revived the Bears when it felt like things were slipping away. This was his best game as a Bear.
Montez Sweat
Defensive lineman Montez Sweat finally had a big game. As discussed earlier, his 91.4 PFF run defense grade ranked 1st in the NFL this week. This is something that only a player with elite talent can achieve, we just need to see it more often. He also added in 5 pressures and a batted pass.
Joe Thuney
Offensive lineman Joe Thuney won’t get enough credit for it, but he certainly played a large role in Chicago’s improved running game this week. He graded out as the 3rd best offensive lineman in the league this week on PFF. Posted up next to the inexperienced Theo Benedet on the left side, he helped create some noticabley large gaps for D’Andre Swift to dash through. Props to Thuney for his consistency.
Key Drive of the Game
The most pivotal drive of the game had to be the final one. There was no possession in the middle that swung things one direction; the Bears final drive that flipped the score was clearly the largest swing.
After scoring optimal field position due to a turnover, Ben Johnson was able to lean on D’Andre Swift and his revitalyzed run game. The drive consisted of 5 rushes for 34 yards, in addition to 2 passes that totaled just 4 yards. I think that this was a statement drive for Johnson as he showed the NFL what his team can do on the ground when everything is clicking. Heavily leaning on the offensive line and Swift, the offense was able to easily get into field goal range for Jake Moody. The rest was history!