Coming off a shocking loss to the Broncos where the Bears blew a 21-point lead there weren’t many, if any fans who were optimistic heading into last night’s game with the Washington Commanders. The Bears’ record in recent memory on nationally televised games hasn’t been good. There was the drama of Chase Claypool, the calls for the firing of head coach Matt Eberflus and OC Luke Getsy and for the Bears to tank, ship Justin Fields out and draft Caleb Williams.
With their backs against the wall and news of the sudden passing of Bears legend Dick Butkus, the Bears came out energized against the Commanders, punched them in the mouth in the 1st half and withstood a 2nd half Commander rally to finish and win their 1st game of the season 40-20.
Last night was the best the Bears have looked on offense in quite some time. The offensive line made it a point to be physical and take it to Washington’s talented front four. Getting Teven Jenkins back off of IR provided a spark and a bit of a mean streak that was lacking with this OL. Justin Fields had his 2nd straight 4 TD performance as he felt confident behind an offensive line that was aggressive. Before injuries to both Khalil Herbert(10 carries, 76 yards) & Roshon Johnson, the Bears’ running game was cooking, thanks again to an offensive line that was getting to the 2nd level. The star of the game though was WR D.J. Moore who had a spectacular night with 230 yards & 3 TDs and some contested catches. Moore had the type of performance that fans want from their #1 receiver. Even when the Commanders made their adjustments and dialed up pressure on Fields, the offense held strong and a 56-yard TD pass late in the 4th quarter from Fields to Moore sealed the win.
Defensively the Bears held the Commanders to just 3 1st half points. They were allowing QB Sam Howell to make throws under the coverage but the Bears wouldn’t break. In the 2nd half as Washington made adjustments and got back in the game to cut a 27-3 deficit to 30-20, Eberflus countered by blitzing more. Eberflus recognized his front four wasn’t getting home enough so even with a depleted secondary he began dialing up more 6 & 7 man blitzes. It worked as the Bears ended up with 5 sacks last night. Keep in mind the Bears only had 2 sacks in their 1st 4 games. The Bears also forced 2 turnovers. They had 2 turnovers in their 1st 4 games.
Grading The Bears
Offense: Justin Fields turned in another star making performance as he went 15/29 for 282 yards & 4 TDs. He added 11 carries for 57 yards. More importantly, Fields had no turnovers. D.J. Moore was an absolute beast with 8 catches for 230 yards & 3 TDs. He should’ve had 5 but Fields just overthrew Moore on one play & Moore was called out of bounds on what would’ve been another. The running game was solid despite the injuries to Herbert & Johnson. The Bears ran for 178 yards & a 5.6 yards per run average. The offensive line was solid despite an injury to Lucas Patrick. The return of Teven Jenkins was key. Gotta give flowers to Luke Getsy for play calling to Fields’ strengths. Grade: B+
Defense: The defense did its part by shutting down the Commanders in the 1st half and then making adjustments by sending plenty of blitzes as Washington chipped away at the lead. Yes, Sam Howell threw for 388 yards but that was because the run game was nonexistent due to being down 24 points at one point. Yes, the Bears had some trouble getting off the field in the 2nd half as the Commanders converted on three 3rd down conversions of 8+ yards but held firm when it mattered most. The Bears defense ended up with 5 sacks, 11 QB hits and forced 2 turnovers. At the end of the day, this much maligned defense held the Commanders to 20 points. Grade: B
Special Teams: Trenton Gill only had 3 punts. Cairo Santos was perfect with 4 FG makes. Because of injuries there were some special teams guys having to make plays on defense. Grade: B
Coaching: Much has been made of the coaching decisions, game plans and in-game adjustments of Matt Eberflus & Luke Getsy but they showed up and coached last night with a sense of urgency. Getsy continued to roll Fields out of the pocket and provide him with space & protection to let Fields cook. Getsy was smart enough to continue running the ‘get the ball to D.J. Moore’ play. Eberflus understood that his front four wasn’t getting pressure in the 2nd half and decided to dial up plenty of blitzes. Eberflus was determined to not let a repeat of Sunday happen again. Grade: A-
The Good, Bad & Ugly:
The Good: The offensive line got after it and played with a nasty streak. Justin Fields looked like a franchise QB for the 2nd straight week while DJ Moore looked every bit the part of the #1 receiver. The defense dialing up pressure in the 2nd half and getting 5 sacks was big.
The Bad: While the OL played well there were still some concerns. Larry Borom had a rough go at LT while Cody Whitehair’s center snaps in the 2nd half were a concern. While Justin Fields played very well he still had some misfires with some of his passes. The Bears could’ve scored 50 if Fields connected on a couple of more throws. The injuries to the Bears’ secondary will be a problem going forward as well as the DL’s inability to get home with just 4 players.
The Ugly: Nothing’s ugly when you get a 20-point win on a short week on the road.
A very happy Matt Eberflus & Justin Fields met the media after the win:
Up Next: A mini-bye before the Bears take on Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and the Vikings. If the Bears play like they played last night they will have a chance to get another win.
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