Carson Wentz and the Washington Commanders got back on the winning streak with a thrilling 12-7 win over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. The Bears had a chance to score on the fourth and goal with just seconds left, but Darnell Mooney couldn’t get a Justin Fields pass to the goal line.
Carson Wentz completed 12 of 22 passes for 99 yards with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. Justin Fields completed 14 of 27 passes for 190 yards, a touchdown and an interception, and also rushed for 88 yards. Rookie running back Brian Robinson recorded his first career start for Washington, rushing 17 times for 60 yards and a game-winning run.
In some ways, it’s a story of two halves. Given how Washington and Chicago have done in their first two quarters, it looks like we might not see a touchdown in Game 2 on Thursday night. The only point in the first half came from a commander’s field goal — the product of nine games, 57 yards from the drive, including 32 free throw yards. However, things finally opened up in the second half.
Early in the third quarter, Fields hit Dante Pettis on a deep 40-yard pass for the first touchdown of the game. Wentz then went to work with a sense of urgency, rushing for 65 yards in 13 games. However, Scott Turner’s offense stalled in the red zone and the Commanders had to settle for their second field goal of the game. Washington’s offense didn’t make much progress, so special teams had to step up in crunch time.
On Washington’s next possession, Wentz and Co. won three in a row. Punter Tress Way kicked the ball deep and Bears rookie returner Velus Jones knocked it down just numbers from his own end zone. Washington pulled one back, and Robinson scored his first career score after two games for a 12-7 lead.
With 1:49 left in the fourth quarter, Fields and the Bears’ offense took over for five points. Fields scrambled for 39 yards to Washington’s 5-yard line after David Montgomery rushed for 13 yards. Chicago had four games to try and get in, but it didn’t work out.
Let’s take a look at what happened in Chicago on Thursday night.
why the commander won
If you just look at the points, Washington doesn’t seem to win the game. That’s because the commander played a big role in a big moment. The specials recovered a sullen punt in the fourth quarter, leading to Washington’s only touchdown of the game, and then the defense shone in big moments.
The Bears scored just seven points on Thursday night. There should have been more, but the Commander’s defense was solid, with his back against the wall, and the game was on. Chicago had four chances to get 5 yards and win the fourth quarter, but it couldn’t. Darrick Forrest broke a pass in the end zone for a 3-pointer, then Benjamin St-Juste stopped the game on a 4-pointer defense. We’ll talk about that later.
Why the Bears lost
The Bears recorded 392 total offensive yards compared to the Commander’s 214, but were still five points short. Do you know what it boils down to? Offensive play and then falling apart in the red zone.
The Bears went 2-for-2 against the Minnesota Vikings in the red zone last week, but they went 0-for-3 against the New York Giants in the red zone two games ago — which cost them the game. The Bears took their red zone struggle to the next level on Thursday night as they went 0-for-3 from within Washington’s 5-yard line. That’s right, the Bears had three separate hits within the commander’s 5-yard line on Thursday night and left with a zero.
Fields made an interception on the first trip inside the 5; the Bears were blocked in the fourth at the 1-yard line in the second quarter, and then Chicago failed to make a potentially game-winning run in the final quarter. Seriously, if the Bears knew what to do in the red zone, they would be 4-2 instead of 2-4.
Overall, the Bears’ offense and how they’re going to use Fields as a quarterback are discussed, but this game boils down to a red zone performance.
turning point
The game went into the final game. On the fourth goal, St. Just stopped on Mooney. It looks like the Bears’ perimeter crosses the goal line at one point, but he hasn’t established possession yet. When Mooney came down, he wobbled in the pass but fell out of bounds and didn’t cross the goal line. Some say football is a game of inches.
Gameplay
Had it not been for this game, the Bears would never have had a chance to win on the fourth goal. Fields scrambled for 39 yards to get Chicago to Washington’s 5-yard line with 1:06 left. It was a very unbelievable sequence because the Bears lost in the red zone, so it didn’t matter in the end.
what’s next
The commanders return to Washington next week, where they host Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers next Sunday. The Packers host the New York Jets this weekend. As for the Bears, they’ll continue to be the prime-time focus next week. They head to Foxborough to take on the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football. Bill Belichick will take on his former team this Sunday at the Cleveland Browns.