Commander Country

Commanders QB Praises Bears Defense

The Chicago Bears defense presents a challenge for the Washington Commanders.

Jeremy Brener

Dec 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones (93) and Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) signal after Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) was sacked by Jones during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Dec 24, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears defensive tackle Justin Jones (93) and Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) signal after Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) was sacked by Jones during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images
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The Washington Commanders are facing off against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, and even though there's uncertainty surrounding who will start between Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, both of them have to study up against the opposing defense.

Mariota has been getting the first-team reps for the Commanders with Daniels out of practice, and he spoke about how sound the Bears defense has been so far this season.

"There's a couple guys that I've played throughout my career that are really good players," Mariota said. "[Chicago Bears CB] Kyler Gordon's unbelievable, probably one of the better positional slot defenders in the league. I've got a lot of respect for [Chicago Bears S] Kevin Byard, somebody that I played with for a long time. Very rangy guy, but also comes in the box and makes a bunch of tackles and then obviously [Chicago Bears DE Montez] Sweat who's played here. I mean, just a tremendous athlete, somebody that really can affect the game by the way he passed rushes. So, at every kind of level of the defense they've got guys."

Even though the Commanders respect their opponent, they are also putting more of an emphasis on what they can do first.

"It's going to be a challenge, but I think for us, again, it's about us. It's about focusing on what we do, and we're excited for the challenge of Sunday and can't wait to see what it looks like," Mariota said.

The Commanders and Bears are set to kick off on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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