The Commanders will beat the Bears on Monday Night Football rematch because of one game-deciding factor
The Bears are in for a long night against the Commanders.
The Washington Commanders are looking to stack wins from here on out after getting their first road win against the Los Angeles Chargers.
This week, they are back at home, where they play their best, for an anticipated rematch of the Hail Mary thriller from last season against the Chicago Bears. Hopefully, this one doesn’t come down to a last-second play, and it shouldn’t, thanks to the Commanders’ strength on offense.
The Commanders finally stuck to the run game last week, and it will be the main reason why the Bears lose the rematch.
The Commanders have the best rushing attack
The Commanders had the second-most rushing yards heading into Week 5 despite being 17th in carries, and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury finally decided to stick with it. Rookie Bill Croskey-Merritt had his biggest role of the season, and it turned into his breakout performance.
Croskey-Merritt showed the coaching staff everything he needed to, including catching the ball out of the backfield, which should make him the lead back moving forward. After Sunday, the Commanders sit at the top of the NFL in rushing yards per game with 156.4. The story for the Bears’ defense is the complete opposite, and it could be a long game for them, mainly because of one glaring stat.
The Bears can’t stop the run
It’s one thing to be bad at stopping the run, but it’s another to be at the bottom. The Bears are the second-worst rushing defense in the league, allowing 164.5 yards per game. One stat that stands out the most is how much they struggle to get contact on a ball carrier.
The Bears allow a league-high 2.10 yards before contact, which is where Croskey-Merritt thrives. He shows his vision and elusiveness through the offensive line to create big plays and actually had 59 yards before contact on Sunday, according to ESPN. That was the most by a Commanders running back this season.
Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had his breakout game against the Bears’ defense in its last game, with 155 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns, and Croskey-Merritt can have the same success.
This is an awful matchup for the Bears’ defense, and that’s not even including what Jayden Daniels will do with a steady rushing attack. Kingsbury shows so many different looks to keep teams guessing, and it’s a nightmare, even for Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
The Commanders’ rushing offense has surprised everyone after so many different moves and changes before the season, but they have their star running back in Croskey-Merritt. Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols have also shown they can break off off big plays and contribute to changing the pace. The Bears will struggle to stop the run all night, and the Commanders will win because of it.
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