4 Keys to a Chicago Bears victory over the Commanders in Week 5

Following a heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 4, one in which the Chicago Bears tied a franchise record for the biggest lead given up in a loss, the Bears will travel to FedEx Field for a Thursday night showdown with the 2-2 Washington Commanders.

The Bears are still seeking their first win of the season and to snap a losing streak that goes back to October 24th of last year.

The Commanders have a fearsome defensive line featuring stalwarts such as Montez Sweat, Chase Young, and Daron Payne, but their secondary has proved vulnerable.

Quarterback Sam Howell has played some nice games, but he’s also had some real stinkers. The Bears’ defense has a chance to make an impact Thursday night.

Much like last week, Thursday night’s game against the Washington Commanders will present a great opportunity for the Chicago Bears to get their first win of the season. But there are certain things they must do to secure the victory.

Here are four keys to a Chicago Bears win in Week 5.

Force-feed DJ Moore

In Week 4, Eagles receiver AJ Brown routinely put Washington’s rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in a blender en route to a dramatic win. The Bears do not have an AJ Brown at wide receiver, but DJ Moore is not far behind his level of dominance.

Moore is fresh off his best game as a Bear, with eight catches for 131 yards and a touchdown, which he needs to build on.

The goal should be to get DJ Moore double-digit catches, regardless of how many targets it takes. If Washington has Forbes following Moore, then offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterback Justin Fields must exploit that mismatch.

Establish the run

Running back Khalil Herbert also had his best game of the season on Sunday, carrying the rock 18 times for 103 yards. Not only does that take a lot of pressure off of Fields, but it makes play-action a lot easier, and that’s when Fields can easily make explosive plays.

Gashing the Commanders’ defense on the ground will also stop their dominant edge rushers from pinning their ears back and charging Fields without fear. That is what the Bears absolutely cannot allow to happen. If the offense can’t find a rhythm early that involves the run game, then Fields could be in for another horrific battering.

Defense, defense, defense

From top to bottom, the defensive performance from the Bears in 2023 has been unacceptable. Two sacks and two takeaways in four games would not even fly in the XFL.

The Bears will face the least experienced quarterback they’ve played against all year after a fairly rough gauntlet of Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, and Russell Wilson. Sam Howell represents the best chance of confusing and flustering a young quarterback that they’ll have all season.

The defensive line has to have a big game on Thursday. The sacks need to come in bunches or, at the very least get hits on the quarterback. The secondary is down several starters, but this is the NFL. It’s a “next man up” league. The backups are having their numbers called right now, and they need to answer. The Bears need takeaways on Thursday because I have a hard time believing the offense won’t cough up the ball at least once.

Justin Fields

I’ve been hard on Fields this year, and many people don’t like that, but I won’t apologize for being honest about what has been a mostly underwhelming season from QB1.

The coaching has been a disaster, there have been injuries, there have been some untimely drops, and receivers are not getting open. But in the midst of all that remains the fact that Fields also shoulders some blame.

Fields had a career game against the Broncos. He threw for 335 yards, an 80% completion rating, four touchdowns, and a passer rating over 130. Despite those gaudy numbers, there is cause for concern. Fields still made mistakes he’s struggled with since being drafted, and once Denver changed their approach on defense in the second half, those downfield shots disappeared and Fields routinely went to his check-downs. That’s when the offense began to sputter.

I give Fields major props for what he did on Sunday, but we need to see more. He needs to stack good games. The Commanders’ defense is much better than Denver’s, and they’re also better coached. They will relentlessly attack Fields’ weaknesses. I

Nothing would make me happier than for Fields to shut me up.

Final Prediction: Commanders win 20-17

As I said last week, I won’t pick the Bears to win another game until they actually win a game. I don’t think Fields will be anywhere near as efficient as he was on Sunday, and expecting the defense to find their identity at this point is just a fool’s hope.

Again, I would love for Fields to prove me wrong, but I could see this one getting out of hand early with some garbage-time scores making the game look closer than it actually was.

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