Takeaways from Bears’ Devastating Loss to the Commanders
There isn’t a single Chicago Bears fan in the world who wasn’t speechless after the events of what happened during the Bears Week Eight game against the Washington Commanders. A two-second miracle occurred for the Commanders to take a heartbreaking win over the Bears this past Sunday. With two seconds left on the clock on their own 35-yard line down 15-12, Jayden Daniels heaves a hail mary downfield. The Bears had a chance to knock it down, but instead, it landed in the arms of Noah Brown in the endzone for the victory. That throw may have proved that Daniels is the superior quarterback to Caleb Williams. This loss was absolutely devastating for the Bears, and all Bears fans are wondering whether they’ll come back from this.
The Bears Absolutely Needed this Win
This game was supposed to be a much-needed win for the Bears, but it all led to heartbreak in the end. The Bears had numerous chances to score, but they couldn’t convert on many third downs. The Bears woke up at the end of the third quarter with a 56-yard touchdown run by D’Andre Swift that put the Bears back in winning contention. With 6:20 left in the fourth quarter, the Bears were on the one-yard line and couldn’t score because they wanted to repeat a Mike “The Fridge” Perry moment with a linebacker trying to pound it in for the score, but instead, he fumbled, and the Commanders recovered. Following that, with 35 seconds left in the game and the Bears on fourth down in the red zone, they got a lucky defensive pass interference call to put them on the one-yard line once again. Roschon Johnson punched it in for the touchdown to put the Bears up 13-12, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion with a shovel pass from Williams to Cole Kmet. After that, it all led to heartbreak. The Bears needed that win to put themselves in a good position in the NFC North, as the Vikings took a huge loss last Thursday to the Rams. Even so, the Bears need to lick their wounds and move on.
The Bears’ Defense Didn’t Break
With all the struggles that the offense had, they had a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter, all thanks to the defense. Though it wasn’t exactly the kind of defense that Bears fans are used to, they didn't force a turnover, which was a way the Bears have gotten momentum for themselves in the past. In the fourth quarter, the defense managed to stop three third-down conversions, so the defense didn’t let up in that aspect. Also to note, on the bright side of the first half, the Bears only allowed field goals and not touchdowns, which allowed the Bears to stay in contention to win during the second half of the game.
The Bears Came Out Flat in the First Half
Caleb Williams’ stat line at halftime was three of eight passing for 33 yards, which reflected the entire performance as a whole. It wasn’t the lack of production that killed the Bears; it was the lack of attempts. The Commanders did a great job of controlling the football and maintaining possession, keeping the Bears from grabbing any momentum of any kind. The momentum was very high in London against Jacksonville, but it’s safe to say that it completely vanished during their bye week. The reason why the Bears didn’t have momentum was because the Bears didn’t have anything up their sleeves offensively. During the Panthers game, the Bears attacked using D.J. Moore. Then, during the Jacksonville game, the Bears attacked using Keenan Allen. None of those plays even shined against the Commanders whatsoever. It took three quarters for the Bears to score with that rushing touchdown from Swift, that can’t happen.
