Bear Digest

Bears and Commanders In-Game Blog

Live reporting and analysis from Soldier Field where the Bears face the Washington Commanders while trying to avoid a three-game losing streak.

Gene Chamberlain

In this story:

Fourth Quarter

  • Catch by Mooney at the goal line but he bobbled it and when he came down he wasn't in the end zone with St-Juste covering inside the 1. Washington wins. 
  • Fields desperation pass to the corner to Pettis in double coverage falls out of his hands. Pettis and Darrick Forrest injured on the play. Pettis had it in his hands but couldn't hold on.
  • Second down at the 4. Pass tipped at the line by Smith-Williams. Incomplete. Third-and-goal at the 4.
  • Washington trying to call timeout before Fields ran out of bounds at the 4. Penalty flag flew but was waved off.
  • Washington DL Jonathan Allen out of the lineup with an injury on the scramble.
  • First-and-goal Bears at the Washington 5 with 52 seconds left.
  • Field with a brilliant playground scramble of 39 yards to the 5.
  • A quick pass to Montgomery picks up 13 yards.
  • Fields sacked and fumbles but Montgomery recovers, then he hits Montgomery for a 10-yard gain OB
  • Slye misses wide left by 3 feet and Bears get the ball at their 38 with 1:49 remaining.
  • Bears stop the run after 3 yards and use their final timeout. Fourth-and-4 at the 30. Slye will try a 48-yard field goal to make it an eight-point game.
  • Two Robinson runs put it at the Bears 33. Third down. TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!! Bears have one timeout left.
  • Robinson with a 16-yard run to the Bears 36. There is 2:16 left and Bears use a timeout.
  • Wentz 12 of 22 for 99 yards.
  • It might not have been a thing of beauty but at least it has been fast. There  is 2:28 left and it's 9:49 p.m.
  • Smith-Marsette drops the pass but he was 3 or 4 yards short of the first down anyway. Washington ball with a chance to put it away. 
  • They can't even get the play off on the biggest down of the game. Delay of game fourth-and-16 at the 48. And they're not punting like against the Giants.
  • Fields rushes a throw to Pettis and it hits the ground incomplete. Bears face fourth-and-11 at the 43.
  • End around to Smith-Marsette loses a yard and earns the Bears boos with 2:51 remaining.
  • Fields could have been sacked by Efe Obada as the bootleg pass was read but he got the pass out real quick for an incompletion. 
  • Montgomery with a big hole for a change behind Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins, gains 9 for a first down to Washington's 42.
  • From the 47, Montgomery tries to cutback and gets just 2 yards.
  • Wide zone and pitch to Montgomery for 6 more and a first down on the left side. Good blocking by Trevon Wesco.
  • On first down with 5:39 remaining, Montgomery drills through the right side for 6.
  • Fields scrambles for 5 and then after no gain he is sacked on third down. But Benjamin St-Juste is flagged for illegal use of the hands. 
  • Wentz overthrows it well over Curtis Samuel's head on the PAT. Commanders 12, Bears 7
  • Robinson scrum run off left guard for the TD with 7:21 remaining. Commanders 12, Bears 7. They're going for two.
  • Robinson cuts in and gets a run just inside the 2. Looked like he had a TD but he cut it inside for some reason.
  • Jones muffs the punt at the 8-yard line and it's recovered by Washington's Christian Holmes. This is the Bears' own fault. They could have taken him out after he struggled all night. Richard Hightower gets the blame on this one. Commanders ball at Bears 6.
  • Wentz completes it to Gibson and he is pushed back but came nowhere near the first down and they punt. Almost 2 yards short.
  • Wentz slant thrown to Cam Sims for 6. Third-and-6
  • Robinson tried left end but Mike Pennel broke up the interference and then also slammed him down for a TFL. A 2-yard loss.
  • Considering last week's Thursday night game was 12-9, all field goals, Al Michaels must have fainted when the Bears scored a touchdown on the Pettis catch.
  • Fields 11 of 19 for 164, a TD and interception. Wentz 10 of 20, 88 yards.
  • Commanders going for the lead with 10:34 left. Bears defense needs to make a stand and play some complementary football.
  • Washington's Milne fielded it and ran on the return. What a novel idea. A 14-yard return to Washington 33.
  • Jail break. Montez Sweat with the sack. Lost 13 yards as Sweat had Fields flushed back to him. The Bears must punt.
  • On second down Herbert nets 3 up the middle in a scrum. Third-and-1 at the Bears 43
  • Herbert breaks two tackles inside, pops outside and makes 6 around left end.
  • Fields scrambles and slides. Thought officials might take away the first down but it's 10 yards and a first down. He broke a tackle first to do it. 
  • Patrick returns at left guard. Apparently no concussion. Beares get only a couple of yards on the first two plays, a scramble by Fields and a 1-yard Herbert run.
  • Bears desperate to doe something on special teams and try a fake reverse but Velus Jones keeps it and only gets to the 22.
  • Justin Jones deflects a third-and-goal pass from the 10 after the Commanders were flagged for a false start. Robert Quinn nearly with a sack on that one. Slye kicks a 28-yard field goal to end a 13-play drive. Bears 7, Commanders 6 

Third Quarter 

  • Quarter ends on third-and-5 for Washington.
  • Lateral pass to Samuel for 3 and Eddie Jackson nearly broke it up in the backfield but missed.  
  • Patrick has been evaluated for a concussion and his return is questionable.
  • Nice surge on left side by Charles Leno and it's a first down behind him. Robinson for 3.
  • Robinson back on the field and he gets 4 around left end. Third-and-1 at the Bears 13.
  • Great screen play set up by Washington and Kyler Gordon with an equally great open-field tackle at the 17.
  • Gibson a 9-yard run to the Bears 22 around left end. Washington doing a good job taking what the Bears give them on this drive instead of 
  • Patrick went to the locker room to be looked at by medical people. Schofield is in his place at left guard and Reiff left after one play. Jenkins had come back but it will be interesting to see if he stays in the game.
  • Dax Milne with a 5-yard catch over the middle with Nick Morrow covering him.  Wentz checks it down then to Gibson and he beats Roquan Smith in the open field for an 8-yard gain to the Bears 34.
  • Bears defense letting up again after a big play by the offense.
  • McLaurin with a first-down catch at the 35 and then Gibson breaks a run 17 yards to the Bears 48.
  • Pettis beat Kyle Fuller's brother Kendall on the TD. On the replay, he had more separation than it appeared in the stadium from the press box angle. Got at least 3 or 4 yards separation.
  • Carson Wentz is usually one to panic when things start going against him and start winging it. And his offensive coordinator, Scott Turner, is too.
  • Officially 40 yards not 41. Fields took a big hit in delivering it and got up slowly but got out.  Key pass from Fields to Mooney on the bootleg for a first down and the third-down run of 12 yards by Montgomery made that drive possible. 
  • Bombs away on a penalty against Washington. A 40-yard TD pass to Pettis. The Commanders had too many on the field. Bears touchdown. Brilliant Fields pass and Pettis actually caught it in stride over the shoulder with 7:16 left in the quarter. Bears 7, Commanders 3
  • Jenkins is on the field as a right guard again after suffering a 
  • Now Patrick is out of the lineup. Got hurt on a first-down run by Montgomery of 13 yards around right end.  Seems OK. They have Riley Reiff in at left guard.
  • Kendall Fuller climbs up Mooney's back for a tackle before a pass arrives and no pass interference call. Bears face third-and-3 at the 25.
  • Bears get a first down when Mooney converts on a wide receiver screen.
  • Teven Jenkins is out of the lineup and Schofield is in there at right guard.
  • Montgomery with a couple up the middle. Bears can't get impatient down here. Fields rushed and can't step into his throw as it comes up about 15 yards short of a target. Third-and-8 at the 8.
  • Another misplayed punt by Velus Jones. Lets it hit the ground and it rolls back to the 6. It's like he doesn't trust himself to try to field punts now. Time to put him on the bench and get Pettis back in there.
  • What's wrong with a run on third down? Wentz tries an RPO pass and gets sacked by Al-Quadin Muhammad with two other Bears there to help if he missed.
  • Two Robinson runs push the Commanders to their 36, then McLaurin tries an end around and Eddie Jackson knocks the ball loose but it bounces straight off a blocker and right to McLaurin. Jackson looked like a heat-seeking missile on that one. After a short run, Commanders face third-and-2 at their 44.

Second Quarter

  • Bears outgained Washington 202 yards to 88 in the first half.
  • Fields 7 of 14 for 89 yards and an interception in the first half. Herbert 65 yards rushing and Montgomery 26.
  • Hail Mary falls incomplete, nearly wrestled away initially by Kmet in the end zone but it falls to the ground.
  • Field shakes it off and walks with a limp to the huddle after a timeout with five seconds left at the Washington 45.
  • Again Fields stands and holds it scrambles for a first down at the 40, then is flattened on a pass the next play while throwing and gets up slowly. Fields then is shaken up throwing over the middle to Pettis for 15 with four seconds left.
  • Looks around again, can't see anyone, scrambles up the middle for 4. Bears use a timeout with 30 seconds left. Commanders might get another possession here, and then get it after the half.
  • Fields runs out of bounds for no gain, officially goes as a sack. Held the ball forever.
  • Bears at 25 with 46 seconds left. 
  • Extra security guys going on the field tonight during timeouts. Must suspect some idiot making a political statement with colored smoke bombs or something. 
  • Wentz isn't getting much help from fumble-finger receivers but at least he could count on the refs for two bad DPI penalties on that drive of nine plays and 57 yards.
  • Joey Slye with a 38-yard field goal with 46 seconds left. Commanders 3, Bears 0
  • Tested Johnson deep again and he knocked it to the ground before McLaurin could get it. 
  • Samuel with a drop so poor I can't even describe it. Had a first down near the 14 too. 
  • Commanders use first timeout after a McKissic 4-yard run to the Bears 20 with 58 seconds remaining.
  • Good fake by Wentz and he hands it instead to McKissic, who gets goot blocking behind Charles Leno for 16.
  • Wentz overthrows wide-open Curtis Samuel diving at the Bears 5.
  • From 45 officials feel Jaylon Johnson is too handsy covering McLaurin at the Bears 40 on a pass overthrown on the sidelines.  Ball count not have been caught. Another poor DPI penalty call.
  • Wentz flirting with disaster, overthrow to McKissic is batted and nearly picked by Brisker.
  • Gordon flagged for pass interference on third down. Had turned his head and was playing the ball. Poor call. Wentz had a receiver in the flat wide open for the first down and more and missed him.
  • Cam Simson on second-down PBU by Kindle Vildor wants a flag. For what? 
  • Decision making is bad too. The throw he had incomplete on third down to Kmet was one where he obviously should have scrambled. Every receiver in pattern was covered.
  • Some of these mistakes by Fields aren't even what you would expect from a bad inexperienced quarterback. Not good. It's like he took it back to where he was before the game with the Giants.
  • End around by McLaurin goes for 5 and TWO-MINUTE WARNING!!!
  • Fields had no one open, tried to finesse one in to Mooney and it falls incomplete so Bears punt with 2:34 left in the half. After punt return of 15 yards, Washington gets flagged for hold on Christian Holmes and starts from its 23.
  • Herbert goes out of bounds around right end for 1 and then Mooney gets 5 in a wide receiver screen. Big third-and-4 for Bears offense.
  • Bears from their own 21 with 3:47 left in the half. Bears have had it for 15:36 to 10:37 by Commanders.
  • Jones catches this one, but he calls fair catch with at least 7 yards of return straight in front of his face. If only they had Tarik Cohen.
  • On third-and-4 Bears come with a blitz and no one in backfield to pick it up so Wentz throws it away and the Bears get it back on a punt from the 37.
  • Washington manages to get a receiver isolated in the open for a change and gets to the 30. McLaurin for 14.
  • Too many missed receivers by Fields tonight so far. At least three guys wide open, one who was targeted and overthrown, the other two were not seen.
  • Bears 115 yards, Washington 16. Bears 8 first downs, Washington 2. 0-0.
  • Punt fair caught at the 17. Bears have had the ball in Commanders territory all night and nothing to show for it.
  • Deep to Mooney and he is behind the coverage a half step deep but the pass needed more air and it goes incomplete.
  • Montgomery plowing forward through the middle for 4 and it's third-and-3 at the 44.
  • Fields hits Mooney on the sidelines with 26 yard pass, then Montgomery for 3 into Commanders territory.
  • The Thursday announcing crew no doubt will make mincemeat of this 0-0 tie in the second quarter between two bad teams but it has been more entertaining than the Broncos-Colts game.
  • Dyami Brown tries a go route on Johnson and Johnson is with him. Brown tried to shove off to make it look like a DPI but refs not biting. Washington punts and again Jones fails to field it. Let's it roll dead at the 23 after 49 yards. If he's not going to field them, they need to put Pettis in because he could usually do at least that much.
  • Another third down chance for the defense to get off the field, third-and-5.
  • Antonio Gibson in at RB and Wentz targets him in the flat on the run but Kyler Gordon with a PBU
  • McLaurin beats Jaylon Jones on a skinny post and takes it to the 23.
  • Two Robinson runs move it to the 6 and Washington has third-and-5
  • Have to give Washington credit for rallying to the tackle on that 64-yard Herbert run. He easily could have scored but two or three DBs cut across the field, cut off the angle and pushed him OB at the 7.
  • The Bears couldn't have an easier TD pass than the one to Griffin. Washington completely bought Fields' fake and Griffin was 5 or 6 yards from anyone. Fields just threw it too far trying to lead him. He didn't need to be led. He was already open in the end zone and no one was going to knock it away.
  • Herbert gets nothing on fourth-and-1. Stopped about 5 inches short. Ran it from under center and the line couldn't deliver the push, just like when they tried the run out of shotgun in Green Bay.
  • Fields takes a big hit at the 1 on a scramble. It's fourth-and-goal from 2 feet away. 
  • Fields fakes beautifully and has Ryan Griffin wide open for a TD and overthrows him badly.
  • First down and Fields nets 1 on a scramble, but Washington had 12 men on the field. That's one way to get a red zone stop if you can get away with it. Now Bears at the 3. First down.
  • Khalil Herbert breaks a rtack;le and is off to the races for 64 yards. Fields down trying to lead blocking. Bears at the 7.
  • Velus Jones with a misplay on the punt and lets it hit before returning it for 5 yards after a 51-yard punt. Bears start at 30.
  • On third-and-5 Roquan Smith gets the sack but gave everyone a scare by not finishing it. Wentz got away and started to scramble and Smith got his foot and tackled him for the sack. 
  • JD McKissic slips and Jaquan Brisker has a golden opportunity for a pick-6 but it falls to the ground.
  • Maybe Fields should try a jump pass next time if he can't get it over the line. 
  • The odds said Washington would get some takeaways. They only had one coming in.

First Quarter

  • After a 5-yard run by Robinson the quarter ends. No score.
  • Washington gets out of a hole on a pass of 18 yards over the middle to TE Cole Turner.
  • After a 1-yard gain up the middle by Montgomery, Fields' pass over the middle is so low it hits Efe Obada in the helmet, pops into the air and intercepted by Robinson.  On replay, Fields had a receiver in the right flat wide open for the touchdown and threw over the middle.
  • Velus Jones on the end around for a first down at the 6. You have to think they would love using him like Deebo Samuel.
  • Smith-Williams roughs up Montgomery on a 5-yard run and there is no call for some reason. Dante Pettis tries coaxing the penalty.
  • WR screen to Mooney is close to the first down but appears short at first, but on replay he looks like he has it. It doesn't matter. Before they challenge, Fields sneaks ahead for 2 yards at the 19. Still should have asked for replay.
  • They're really going with this bootleg action, as Fields runs one for 5 on a boot with no receivers open. Then Montgomery runs into the line for 2 and should have had 5. He stopped and hesitated.
  • Play-action pass to Dante Pettis for 19 and he actally caught it. No drop this time. Bears at the 30.
  • Screen to Kmet follows for 12 but Bears got flagged for the inelgible downfield, Larry Borom. Borom was so far downfield he should have run a pass pattern. They get back 7 right away with a Montgomery run off left end.
  • Bootleg pass to Cole Kmet works well for a first down to the 49. Washington didn't overcommit on that one like other teams have to stop the bootleg.
  • Matt Forte on the sidelines introduced to fans. A true all-around threat in his playing days.
  • Velus Jones' 10-yard punt return sets the Bears up at their own 34. 
  • Some Bears fans will be happy, particularly those calling for blitzes. Third down safety blitz by Jaquan Brisker and Wentz is an easy target for a sack.
  • Thomas gets the tackle with Roquan after 2 yards by Robinson. Then on second down they run Robinson again and net only 1. They're having about the same success opening running lanes as the Bears.
  • Joe Thomas starts as strong side linebacker. 
  • Either Washington's secondary knew exactly what the Bears were doing on the first series with their pass patterns or the Bears receivers are even worse than we thought. Fields had almost no targets, or he was just being hesitant. If so, he better go do some of those breathing exercises.
  • Washington takes over after the punt at its own 23. 
  • Finally some really good pass blocking and Mooney has what he thought was an in-cut and Fields thought he was cutting out. Incomplete. Finally the series ends with a sack by Daron Payne. Two more sacks on the first drive. That's 20 for the year.
  • Fields sacked on play-action for 9-yard loss after first down for holding. He was looking deep first, had no one and only a few receivers in patterns.
  • Bears get the first down to Mooney on 7-yard pass, then Montgomery is smeared on the first down by James Smith-Williams for a 1-yard gain. H is blocking on the left side on a toss on second down was bad again and he gained only 3 but the Bears get bailed out by a hold on Jonathan Allen of all things.  
  • Washington ready for a quick pass at the line by Fields so he scrambles around left end and eludes two tacklers for 8.
  • Highly returnable kick is downed. Bears at 25.
  • Bears have lost the toss and Washington has deferred

Pregame

Wind is 14 mph. It sure must have calmed down. 

TICKETS TO SEE JUSTIN FIELDS AND BEARS AVAILABLE FROM SI TICKETS

  • The wind is so strong, it's a good thing it's two quarterbacks with big arms. We'll get an exact wind for the game soon. Wouldn't be surprised if it's 30 mph gusts. 

Inactives

Commanders

  • WR Jahan Dotson
  • CB William Jackson III
  • QB Sam Howell
  • S Percy Butler
  • RB Jonathan Williams
  • T Sam Cosmi
  • TE Logan Thomas

Bears

  • WR N'Keal Harry
  • CB Lamar Jackson
  • TE Jake Tonges
  • LB Kingsley Jonathan
  • Not a suprise that they have WR N'Keal Harry inactive. OC Luke Getsy made it seem like this would be the case but Matt Eberflus was the one who kind of hedged on that. Still, it's understandable when the guy didn't get the chance to practice much in camp before his ankle injury. So he makes his debut against his old team, the Patriots?
  • Washington wearing white on white, the uniforms all the Bears fans seem to want to see from their team.
  • The great thing about this game is after it's over, they have no  more night games this year. Every home game is at noon, and all but one on a Sunday. The Christmas Even game is a Saturday noon game.
  • The Bears will be facing Brian Robinson Jr., who gets the start over Antonio Gibson in his second game back after being out do to an offseason shooting incident. He's a big back with speed and good cutting ability. It could be the missing ingredient the Commanders offense has lacked. He's 6-foot-1, 225 pounds and last week had nine runs for 22 yards in his debut. The real Washington problem has been the offensive line.

Agreed!

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

Published
Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.

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