With a brilliant offensive performance, the Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Commanders 40:20 at the start of Week 5 of the NFL, ending the longest losing streak in their franchise history. Wide receiver DJ Moore excelled with three touchdowns.
Bears @ Commanders: At a glance
- The Chicago Bears ended their longest losing streak ever (14 games) with a sensational first half in which they posted their most total yards since the late 1980s. Quarterback Justin Fields also threw four touchdown passes.
- The Commanders couldn’t get going before the break and committed two turnovers. After halftime they attempted a comeback, but it was stalled by a missed field goal.
- DJ Moore’s 230-yard performance was one of the Bears’ best ever receiving performances in a game.
Bears @ Commanders: The match report
The Chicago Bears came out of the locker room at full throttle, scoring points on each of their five drives before halftime. It started with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields to wide receiver DJ Moore. This was followed by two short field goals by Cairo Santos, an 11-yard touchdown by Moore and a 4-yard TD catch by tight end Cole Kmet.
The visitors, in turn, only got a 51-yard field goal from Joey Slye midway through the second quarter, while quarterback Sam Howell threw an interception before the Bears’ third touchdown.
After the break, the Commanders got into the game better and shortened the lead on the first drive with a touchdown from tight end Logan Thomas. However, he lost a fumble a little later, which made life more difficult for the home team. After field goals on both sides, the Commanders shortened the score to just ten points thanks to a touchdown from Curtis Samuel.
But then they ran out of steam. Slye missed a 46-yard field goal attempt and the Bears capped it with Moore’s third touchdown of 56 yards. For the Bears, this ended a streak of 14 defeats in a row since last October, the longest in the franchise’s history.
Chicago Bears (1-4) @ Washington Commanders (2-3)
Result: 40:20 (10:0, 17:3, 0:11, 13:6) BOXSCORE
Bears @ Commanders: Key stats
- Justin Fields (15/29, 282 YDS, 4 TD) equaled his personal bests from the previous week with four total touchdowns and three before halftime. He is the only QB to have thrown at least three touchdown passes before halftime in a game twice this season. Only Josh Allen has done it one other time.
- The Bears totaled 307 total yards in the first half. That’s their most in the first half of a road game since Detroit in 1989 (321).
- DJ Moore set several records: He is the first Bears player in the Super Bowl era with at least 200 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a game. Previously, only Harlon Hill achieved this in 1954. His 230 receiving yards were the Bears’ second-most ever (Alshon Jeffery managed 249 in 2013).
The star of the game: DJ Moore (Wide Receiver, Bears)
After initial problems this season, everything came together for Justin Fields and DJ Moore, who was already celebrated as a kind of savior in the offseason. And against the Commanders, the With this performance, he now has 531 receiving yards in the season – more than any Bears wide receiver in the whole of last year!
The flop of the game: Defense (Commanders)
The Commanders scored three points before the break and quickly put themselves behind. But while you can also blame your own offense for this, in this case you shouldn’t lose sight of the defense. The Commanders had problems with tackling and coverage throughout the game. DJ Moore, for example, was well covered a few times, but still regularly prevailed at the catch point. Even after the catch, the guests had little trouble gaining space. Howell’s total of 388 passing yards didn’t help either.
The tweet of the game
The Bears made an exclamation point and King James was not unimpressed.
The highlight of the game
Symbolic of Moore’s outstanding evening was his third touchdown on a hitch route and with plenty of yards after the catch. It also beautifully highlighted the Commanders’ major coverage issues in this game.