‘Just luck on Chicago’s part’ — Troy Aikman heavily discredited a massive play made by D’Andre Swift to help come away with a win in Week 6
D’Andre Swift’s big play turned out to be a game-changer for the Chicago Bears.
The Chicago Bears’ 25-24 win over the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football” was a sloppy affair and watching the game, you knew the outcome would be determined by which team made the biggest mistake and which team capitalized on it.
That’s exactly what happened when the Commanders coughed up the football on its final offensive drive, allowing the Bears to drive down and kick a game-winning field goal. Yeah, some luck was involved on that play, but not every big play is a lucky break.
Prior to that fumble, the Bears had a momentum-swinging play when running back D’Andre Swift broke free for a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown. Here’s what commentator and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman said on the broadcast.
“Open as he is, then you make one guy miss, and now with his speed, he’s off to the races,” Aikman said. “Just um, just luck on Chicago’s part. It really wasn’t so much intended.”
That play wasn’t lucky. It was a big-play player making a big play when his team needed it. And Swift deserved more recognition than that in the moment.
D’Andre Swift’s touchdown was a lot more than luck
“I mean the 55-yard touchdown was really a game-changer for us,” head coach Ben Johnson explained. “That was a time in the game where we needed a little spark. We were kind of faltering just a little bit as a team, and all it takes is one guy to make a big play like that and really ignite us again.”
Whether intended or not, anytime Swift touches the ball, there’s an opportunity for a big play and he was full of those kind of big plays all night long.
“Caleb (Williams) did a good job getting me the ball early,” Swift said. “I stopped and then took off again, just made something happen. Big play in the game.” Williams added Swift “ran a great route, got his eyes around, had a lot of space” turning the short pass into a massive momentum-swinging moment.
Swift finished the game with 175 total yards on 16 touches in Week 6. The blocking especially was operating at a high level opening up lanes and creases for Swift to explode through, which is something Johnson’s been trying to get going all season long through the first five games.
“Being able to get him going is really important for us,” Williams said. “I couldn’t be more happy for him. When you have moments like this, it does lift a little weight off your chest and shoulders. We want to keep that going, we want to keep the run game going.”
It was a great sign to see Swift breakout and have his first big moment of 2025. Trying to write it off as a lucky play isn’t fair to him, but Bears fans know Aikman for some reason had some bias all night.
“A few people weren’t particularly pleased with how we are winning right now,” Johnson said on Tuesday while on ESPN1000. “I woke up this morning and my kids were watching the second half before school. I heard some of the commentary. Listen, in this league, anyway you can find a way to win is a big deal.”
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