Bears Week Eight Preview vs Commanders
After what was hopefully a successful bye week for the Chicago Bears, they are set to take on the Washington Commanders in Week Eight this Sunday on the road. The 4-2 Bears have one tough task ahead of them as they face a 5-2 Commanders team that is coming off a 40-7 dominant win over the Panthers. This game will be quite the showdown of two top pick quarterbacks who have been making quite the names for themselves this season, Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. Will the Bears continue their winning streak, or will the Commanders stay undefeated at home?
During the Commanders' win over the Panthers, Jayden Daniels left the game after 10 offensive snaps due to a rib injury, and veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota stepped in to replace him. Mariota ended up completing 18-of-23 for 205 yards and two touchdowns. While the injury to Daniels hasn’t been considered serious, he may still be unable to suit up in Week Eight versus the Bears. If Daniels can return to the lineup, he’s going up against a Bears defense, allowing only 180 passing yards per tilt, which is seventh in the league. The Bears have yielded only four passing touchdowns all season, and they’ve been almost as good against the run in 2024, giving up 112 yards per game on the ground, which is 11th in the league.
The Bears are currently in a dogfight with the rest of the NFC North, so a win over a Commanders team that is currently first in the NFC East would mean a lot for the Bears right now. If the Bears want to win this battle, the defense once again has to be stellar, no matter if Daniels or Mariota is under-snap for the Commanders. The Commanders rushing offense and third-down offense are both ranked third in the league, so if the Bears can stop the run, they’ll be in great shape. Offensively, the pass protection needs to be there, so Caleb Williams has more options to work with. If the run game is there, the Bears could be in a good spot, considering the Commanders' rush defense is ranked 18th in the league, allowing 131.6 rushing yards per game.
The Bears have three games left of teams that are not in the NFC North, including this Sunday against the Commanders. If the Bears can win out these next three games, they’ll be in pretty good shape as they start to face their NFC North rivals. This past Sunday, the Lions handed the Vikings their first loss of the season, defeating them in a tight battle 31-29 on a late field goal to secure the victory. They both now have a 5-1 record, with the Packers sitting at third in the NFC North with a 5-2 record. With the way that the Bears have been playing as of late, they have proven they can compete with any team in the league including the NFC North.
