Bears avoid comeback, win first game in 346 days
The Chicago Bears have finally done it. With their 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, the Bears have snapped the longest losing streak in franchise history. Quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver DJ Moore dominated against the Commanders and lifted the entire fanbase out of the depths of the NFL. More […]
The Chicago Bears have finally done it. With their 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football, the Bears have snapped the longest losing streak in franchise history.
Quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver DJ Moore dominated against the Commanders and lifted the entire fanbase out of the depths of the NFL.
More importantly, the Bears defense stood tall late in the fourth-quarter and prevented the Commanders from mounting a second-half comeback.
Fields completed 51.7 percent of his passes for 282 yards and four touchdowns. It's the second straight week and second time in his career Fields passed for 3+ touchdowns in a game and recorded a 125+ passer rating.
Moore accounted for 230 of Fields passing yards, a career-high for Moore, and the second-most receiving yards in a game in Bears history.
"The first day [Moore] got here, we could just tell he was different," Fields said after the win. "Those plays he made out there today, that's just a glimpse. He can do a lot more. He's a great player, great person, and I'm happy for him."
Fields was 100% right. Moore scored 3 receiving touchdowns in the win, including two in the first half. But, Moore's monster performance could have been even more memorable if not for a missed defensive pass interference call in the end zone and a horrible call where Moore was ruled out of bounds on a huge third quarter play.
"That really pissed me off, because I was about to score. I could have had four touchdowns," Moore said after the game referring to the call while adding a chuckle. "The ref has to do his job but at the same time, it is what it is and we got the win. So, I'm not too mad [about] it."
Here's an angle of the play and the botched call Moore was referring to.
Regardless, Moore has proved the trade has been worth it and has single-handedly transformed the Bears passing offense. This season, Fields has a perfect 158.3 passer rating when targeting Moore, with the two combining for 531 yards, 15.6 yards per attempt, and 5 touchdowns this season.
Fields and Moore kicked the game off with a monster start and kept up the pace throughout the rest of the game. However, the bulk of the credit should also go to the Bears defense.
One of the worst defensive units in the league finally showed up in the second-half and made two critical takeaways. The Bears entered the game with 2 sacks on the second (the fewest in the NFL) and recorded 5 total sacks in the win on Thursday.
The Bears truly stepped up overall as a team despite being plagued by injuries going into the game and during the game. It was a deserving win that shocked the entire NFL. The cheer and chants coming from the Bears fans at FedEx Field speaks for itself.
After the win, Fields made sure to pay his respects and credit the victory to an all-time Bears legend, Dick Butkus, who the team announced passed away earlier on Thursday.
"It just means a lot, to you know, win tonight," Fields added. "It was the first one in a long time and for a Bears legend, who will never be forgotten, we played for him tonight."
DJ Moore’s massive first-half stuns Commanders
Is the first win within reach?
