Did the Bears Get Their Revenge on Monday Night Football?
The Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, securing a 25-24 victory. The Bears would overcome an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jayden Daniels fumbled a handoff to running back Jacory Crosley-Merritt, leaving the Bears at their 44-yard line. Running back D’Andre Swift would put the Bears offense in field goal range after receiving every last drive snap. After kicker Cairo Santos was ruled out for today’s game, kicker Jake Moody would step up and sink the 38-yard field goal, giving the Bears the win and extending their winning streak to three.
Quarterback Caleb Williams completed 17 out of 29 with 252 passing yards and a touchdown. Williams' best receiving target was Swift, who had two receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown. He would also rush for 108 yards, showing the side of production that Bears fans wanted to see. For the first time this season, both the Bears’ rushing and passing attack were in sync, which allowed both Williams and Swift to be their most productive sources of yards and scoring. While the offense was able to finish the game, much of the Bears’ success stemmed from their defense. The defense produced three takeaways, two coming from forced fumbles and one interception. Safety Jaquan Brisker caught the Bears’ only interception in the first quarter, setting the tone for their defense the rest of the game. Cornerbacks Kyler Gordon and Nahshon Wright would recover the fumbles.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner came into this night having lost every game against his quarterback class and finally got his first win to break the streak. Head coach Ben Johnson was able to establish a good flow for the offense, but was hindered by some controversial penalties. Despite this, the Bears would refuse to go down and play until the final whistle, showing a different type of energy when compared to last season's close games. Erasing the bad memory of the Hail Mary play that took place in Washington last season, Chicago can now move on to focus its attention on the New Orleans Saints, whom they will take on this Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
