Bears’ Jake Moody connects on late field goal to beat Commanders

LANDOVER, Md. — For a while, it felt like Chicago’s Week 6 win at Washington was going to play out like the last time the Bears were on Monday Night Football to start the season, with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bears had a double-digital lead on the Commanders and squandered it off a combination of blown coverages, settling for field goals over touchdowns, penalties and overall sloppy play.

But this time, nearing the one-year anniversary of the Bears’ last trip to Northwest Stadium that ended in devastation on a Hail Mary, Chicago capitalized off its opponent’s late-game mistake and came away with a 25-24 win to mark back-to-back victories on the road.

Jake Moody booted a 38-yard field goal as time expired hours after he was elevated to the game-day roster with kicker Cairo Santos dealing with a quad injury.

Quarterback Caleb Williams wasn’t perfect in his DC-area homecoming. But winning ugly continues to be a theme for the Bears, who won their third game coming off a bye week since 2013.

Chicago Bears (3-2)

Turning point: The Bears trailed 24-22 when Jayden Daniels and Jeremy McNichols botched their exchange near midfield. Chicago recovered the fumble and gave Williams and the offense the final 3:07 to get back on track and turn an ugly game into triumph with a game-winning drive. Chicago had all three of its timeouts to utilize down the stretch as it set up for Moody’s game winning kick in the rain and wind.

Most surprising performance: D’Andre Swift came into Week 5 averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Just like last season against the Commanders, Swift broke through against Washington with a season high 108 rushing yards while finally generating the chunk plays (7.7 yards per carry) the Bears run game had been looking for. Chicago’s lead rusher also came away with the second-longest reception of his career, a short pass that he took 55 yards down the Commanders’ sideline for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Defending the deep ball. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had three completions on 20-yard throws against the Bears defense, including two touchdowns. Despite the Bears being in their dime defense late in the third quarter, somehow none of Chicago’s defensive backs remembered to cover Washington receiver Luke McCaffreywho was left wide open for a 33-yard touchdown off a wheel route. – Courtney Cronin

Next game: vs. New Orleans Saints (1 PM and Sunday)

Washington Commanders (3-3)

The Commanders didn’t need another Hail Mary to beat the Chicago Bears. All they needed to do was take better care of the ball.

And they didn’t.

And it cost them.

The Commanders turned the ball over for a third time late in the fourth quarter clinging to a two-point lead. It led to Chicago driving for the game-winning field goal and 25-24 lead – and returning the favor of exiting this field with heartbreak.

One year ago of course, quarterback Jayden Daniels tossed a 52-yard Hail Mary to beat the Bears. But Washington’s defense continues to struggle — and that points to more pain as the season unfolds if it doesn’t improve. They could not stop a Chicago ground attack that had struggled entering the game.

But it was the turnovers that did them in: Daniels threw a red zone interception that not only cost them a field goal attempt, it led to Chicago driving for one of its own. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt then lost a fumble that led to a Bears touchdown.

Daniels then failed to execute a proper handoff to Croskey-Merritt that gave Chicago the ball at its own 44 and lead to the game-winning field goal.

Turning point: On the first play of the fourth quarter Chicago lined up for a 48-yard field goal attempt. But defensive tackle Daron Payne burst through the middle to block the kick and keep Washington in the lead at 17-16. While there were other big plays, those three points proved to be the difference as Washington never trailed again.

Quarterback performance: Daniels had a terrific night — and two killer plays. He threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for another 52 yards. He kept drives alive with his legs and he made the passing game work with big plays despite missing top receiver Terry McLaur for a third consecutive game. But Daniels tossed an interception and failed to execute a handoff late, leading to a fumble. Also, the Bears consistently applied pressure on him when Washington used an empty formation; the Commanders did not adjust well enough versus that look.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Washington did a poor job versus running back D’Andre Swift. He had not gained more than 78 yards from scrimmage in any of his first four games this season. Yet he rushed for 108 and caught two passes for another 67. He consistently burned Washington. The Bears did a good job opening holes for him, but head coach and playcaller Ben Johnson also helped by calling misdirection runs.

Trend to watch: Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt fumbled for the second consecutive game. Croskey-Merritt has done a nice job but at times gets too loose with the ball — and it has hurt him when running through the middle. There’s a lot to like about him, and he rushed for 175 yards combined in those two games, but it’s something to monitor moving forward. — John Keim

Next game: at Dallas Cowboys (4:25 PM and Sunday)