The Chicago Bears had victory snatched from their hands after allowing the Denver Broncos to secure a comeback victory in Week 4, and now Chicago will attempt to quickly recover from that shock and get ready for a Thursday Night Football showdown against the Washington Commanders.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields had a career game against the Broncos, throwing a career-high 300 yards and four touchdowns last week. Chicago faces yet another suspect defensive secondary that they can exploit to put points on the board, but getting their first victory of the season won’t be easy.
Buy Bears TicketsThe Bears have three key matchups that they’ll need to win in order to come out of FedEx Field with a 1-4 record. Let’s take a look:
1
Bears offensive line vs. Commanders defensive line
Despite previous concerns about the how the offensive line will perform during the season, the group has done a solid job of keeping quarterback Justin Fields off the ground. Rookie tackle Darnell Wright has been a revelation protecting the right side of the pocket, and the rest of the line has risen above porous expectations. With right guard Nate Davis’ return in Week 4 and the impending return of talented left guard Teven Jenkins, the group is looking like a surprising bright spot in the early goings of the season.
The offensive line will need to bring their A game on Thursday night, as they’ll be battling what some consider the best defensive line in the NFL. The Commanders front four of Chase Young, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Montez Sweat pose an intimidating challenge for Chicago’s meandering line.
The line will not only need to keep Washington’s powerful defensive line away from Fields, but they’ll also need to move them out of the way on running plays. Fields had a career game last week and the running attack finally flashed the same production it had last year; the play of the offensive line will be the deciding factor in if the offense has another productive day.
2
QB Justin Fields vs. Commanders secondary
Fields finally turned off the alarm bells ringing in the fanbase’s ears on his future with Chicago, as he put up a monster stat line of 335 passing yards and four touchdown passes. Perhaps even more impressive was his poise and mastery over the offense, routinely getting to the correct read and punishing the train wreck that is the Broncos defense. While Washington doesn’t quite have the same talent in their secondary as Denver did on paper, Fields will need to string together another game of elite quarterback play.
Washington’s defense hasn’t quite lived up to defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s philosophy of “bend don’t break,” as the unit has allowed at least 30 points to their opponents in the last three games. If the only sample size we got from the offense was its first three games played, most would’ve scoffed at the idea of the Bears putting up 30 points in a game. After their excellent showing in Week 4, it’s a real possibility that they can reach that milestone.
It’s all dependent on Fields, who will need to demonstrate his calm demeanor under pressure and his precise diagnosis of defenses again. While the Bears passer doesn’t need to put up another four-touchdown, 300-yard game to secure a win against the Commanders, he will need to play mistake-free football. Any interception or fumble committed could spell the defeat for Chicago, with the defense in the shambling state that it’s in.
Fields finally played at the level of an electric, franchise quarterback; now he’ll need to play at the level on a consistent basis.
3
Bears defense vs. Commanders offense
The issue with Chicago’s defense isn’t just their inability to stop the pass and run or just their ineffectiveness in getting into the backfield; it’s the defense’s complete failure to stop any opposing offense through four games. The Bears have somehow been worse than the Commanders in points allowed per game, giving up at least 30 points in the last three games. Whether the blame should be attributed to the defense’s talent or subpar coaching, the problem still persists, and they have little chance of gathering themselves in time to take on Washington.
The play of the defense just needs to be better — in every way. The defensive line needs to push the pocket and clog running lanes, the linebackers need to be more instinctual and finish tackles, the defensive backs have to stay with their receivers and the defensive scheme needs to be completely reworked. While it may seem unfair to some to bring attention to problems that can’t be fixed in a short week, it can be retorted that these are problems that should have been identified and fixed in training camp. That didn’t happen and now, in the present day, there’s not one fix-all solution that will change the defense’s chances of impacting winning football. The group will continue to be trampled, as has been the status quo throughout the season.
