The Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Commanders, 25-24, in a thrilling finish on Monday Night Football.
Backup kicker Jake Moody, who was released by the San Francisco 49ers this season, stepped up for an injured Cairo Santos and wound up kicking the game-winning field goal to send Chicago to 3-2 and extend their winning streak to three games.
This was another complete win for the Bears, where the offense, defense and special teams all contributed in another ugly victory. But this was a win that last year’s Bears wouldn’t have won. In fact, last year’s Hail Mary defeat was the beginning of the end. Could this be the start of something good?
There were plenty of standout performers in this game, where the run game finally got going and Moody stepped up in the kicking game. Here’s a look at the (mostly) studs and lone dud in the Bears’ thrilling win over the Commanders:
Stud: RB D’Andre Swift
D’Andre Swift had his best performance as a Chicago Bear on the prime-time stage, and he was a huge reason for the offense’s success and played a key role in setting up the game-winning field goal. Swift led Chicago in both rushing and receiving, totaling 108 yards and averaging 7.7 yards per carry and two receptions for 67 yards, which included a 55-yard touchdown. On the Bears’ game-winning drive, Swift had five rushes for 34 yards to set up Jake Moody’s game-winning field goal.
Stud: K Jake Moody
With the Bears down their starting kicker in Cairo Santos, this wasn’t the kind of game where you wanted to rely on practice squad addition Jake Moody, who was released by the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season, to win. But, hey, it worked. Moody was crucial to Chicago’s win, where he connected on four of five field goals — where one kick was blocked — before drilling a game-winning 38-yard field goal to send the Bears to 3-2 and a three-game winning streak.
Stud: WR Luther Burden III
The Bears are starting to get rookie receiver Luther Burden III more involved, and it’s equating to success on offense. Burden caught all four of his passes for 51 yards, including a 37-yard reception where he got great separation. Right now, Burden is the fourth wideout on the depth chart, but there’s definitely an argument to be made about getting him more touches over Olamide Zaccheaus, especially as it pertains to the future.
Stud: Defensive takeaways
The Bears defense has its share of ups and downs, but they’ve been phenomenal in one specific category: Forcing turnovers. In the last three games, Chicago has totaled 11 takeaways, including three against the Commanders (Jaquan Brisker interception, Kyler Gordon fumble recovery, Nahshon Wright fumble recovery). It was enough to keep the Bears in a game where they struggled, and Wright’s fumble recovery with roughly three minutes remaining was the reason Chicago had a chance to win the game when it looked like Washington was driving to seal the win. The Bears are going to be hard to beat if their defense continues to dominate the turnover battle.
Stud: RT Darnell Wright
There’s no doubt that right tackle Darnell Wright was the best offensive lineman on the field tonight, and it came in a crucial game for the Bears. After missing Week 4 with an elbow injury, Wright returned to the lineup and his top-notch play paved the way for success on the ground and through the air. Wright excelled as a blocker, where he was even blocking two guys at once, and helped get the run game going for the first time this season. Wright has been severely underrated, and he’s in the conversation for Ryan Poles’ best draft pick.
Dud: Penalties
It’s hard to find much to complain about in this game, especially after some players redeemed themselves after rough starts. But the biggest issue for the Bears remains self-inflicted mistakes, most notably penalties. Chicago had nine penalties for 84 yards, and a few of those penalties stalled drives (or negated a Rome Odunze touchdown) or put the Commanders in a position to succeed. Luckily, the Bears were able to overcome it. But it needs to be a focal point for this team moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Studs and duds from Bears’ thrilling win vs. Commanders
Reporting by Alyssa Barbieri, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
