Washington Commanders (2-3) – Chicago Bears (1-4): 20-40
Chicago finally has a victory! After last week’s cruel defeat, the Bears this time held on until the end against Washington. In an evening marked by the announcement of the death of the great Dick Butkus (portrait to be found here), Chicago paid tribute to his legend thanks to two strong men: Justin Fields (15/29, 282 yards, 4 TD, 57 yards rushing ground) and DJ Moore (230 yards, 3 TD). You read correctly, DJ Moore has more than four times as many yards as all of his teammates.
🎩DJ MOORE
🎩DJ MOORE
🎩DJ MOOREA hat trick in his 5th game as a Bear! @idjmoore#CHIvsWAS on Prime Video
Also available on #NFLPlus https://t.co/YCeYJnyJmB pic.twitter.com/llD1Ppb7vb— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2023
This Fields/Moore connection finally seems established, and the entire team has made its contribution in the wake of the star players. Even the defense was decisive, causing two turnovers to prevent the Commanders from getting back into the game.
This “surprise” outcome is obviously very bad news for Ron Rivera’s men. Sam Howell (37/51, 388 yards, 2 TD, 1 Int has become human again, and the total absence of a running game (29 yards in the match including 19 from Howell!) illustrates the impossibility for the Commanders to impose the tempo of the game. Pass defense is a problem for Washington, and the inconsistent contribution of the line does not solve this problem.
Chicago is flying fast
From the first drive, Chicago’s overall desire to favor a more vertical game is evident. It’s difficult to do better than DJ Moore in this game, he who connects long distance reception then touchdown (0-7). The entire first act will resemble a tidal wave from start to finish.
Justin Fields found confidence, and despite still missing a few easy passes, he was superbly decisive. He distributes and finds DJ Moore and Cole Kmet (42 yards, 1 TD) for new touchdowns. The score is clear at halftime: 27-3, and yet the “fear” in Chicago of reliving the Denver nightmare.
This time, the Bears held
The third quarter begins with a touchdown from Washington, by Logan Thomas (77 yards, 1 TD), then a punt from Chicago (11-27). This is when the defense will do what it failed to do against the Broncos, cause Logan Thomas’ fumble to regain the “momentum” of the match.
The Commanders do not give up, with a touchdown from Curtis Samuel (65 yards, 1 TD) to reduce the gap to 10 points (20-30), but a missed field goal then a new missile from Fields for Moore concludes this match (20-37). This time it’s over, Chicago can finally enjoy a first victory!
