Bear Digest

Key takeaways from Chicago Bears' breakthrough win over Commanders in Week 6

The Chicago Bears wanted revenge against the Washington Commanders after 2024's Fail Mary, and they got it on Monday Night Football in Week 6.
Bryan Perez|
Peter Casey-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have officially exorcised the demons from the 2024 Fail Mary loss.

The Bears defeated the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, 25-24, thanks to a last-second game-winning field goal by recently promoted kicker, Jake Moody.

Yep; this time, it's Jayden Daniels and the Commanders whose hearts were broken on the final play of the game.

Here are the key takeaways from the Bears' massive win.

Bears' running game was firing on all cylinders in Week 6

Now that was the D'Andre Swift that GM Ryan Poles thought the Bears were getting when they signed him in free agency last year.

Swift ended the game with 14 carries for 108 yards and added two catches for 67 yards, including a 55-yard touchdown catch. His 7.7 yards per carry was by far the most impressive performance he's had as a member of the Bears.

Rookie Kyle Monangai got some run on Monday night, too, adding five carries for 19 yards (3.8 yards per carry) and an impressive 25-yard catch.

Caleb Williams had a rushing touchdown as well.

It's clear that the Chicago Bears worked overtime during the bye week to improve their rushing attack, and it worked. The Bears ended Week 6 with 27 carries for 145 yards (5.4 yards per carry) and one touchdown.

Chicago Bears overcame one-sided game from officials

I get it. Fans of any team will always feel like they're being picked on by officials. But in Week 6's win over the Commanders, the Bears were really attacked by the yellow flags.

The most egregious of bad calls by the refs wiped out this fantastic touchdown catch by Rome Odun

The officials flagged Theo Benedet for an illegal formation penalty. Uh, yeah... it's a call Ben Johnson should want reviewed by the NFL.

Theo Benedet had a day in the run game

Neither the film nor the analytics are out yet, but it seems fair to suggest that Benedet replacing Braxton Jones at left tackle was just what the Bears needed to get the ground game going.

Benedet opened several running lanes for Swift and Monangai to exploit, and if the film matches the first impression he left in this game, the Bears might have backed into quite a value in the former Canadian standout.

What a debut for Bears kicker Jake Moody!

Moody, a former third-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, was called to duty after Cairo Santos was an injury scratch. And while Moody has been plagued by inconsistency during his young career, he delivered in his debut as a Chicago Bear.

Moody ended the game connecting on four-of-five kicks, including the game-winner that had every Bears fan at the edge of their seat.

Chicago Bears' defense answered the call

The Bears entered Week 6 with one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL, and with the Commanders boasting the NFL's top rushing offense, it seemed like a mismatch that Washington could take advantage of.

The Commanders had some success, but not nearly as much as the experts predicted. Washington totaled 31 carries for 124 yards (4.0 yards per carry), most of which was inflated by Jayden Daniels' 52 yards.

The Bears held Jacory Croskey-Merritt to just 3.6 yards per carry and a long gain of 11 yards.

Gervon Dexter deserves a hat tip for his effort as a pass rusher, too. He ended the game with 1.5 sacks and was active in his pursuit of Daniels throughout the game.

And how about Tremaine Edmunds' 13 tackles? Yeah, he was dialed in.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) passes the ball against the Washington Commanders
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Caleb Williams wasn't perfect, but he did enough to win

It was hard not to notice the relentless criticism that Troy Aikman hurled toward Caleb Williams after almost every throw. And while some of it was warranted, it felt a bit over the top.

Williams -- who should be 2-0 against Daniels now -- did his part to help lead the Bears to victory, even it if wasn't his best performance of the season.

He finished 17-of-29 for 252 yards and one touchdown and added a second touchdown as a runner.

The Bears have now won three games in a row, and Williams, whether the national media likes it or not, is a big reason why.

These aren't the same old Chicago Bears

Ben Johnson is slowly but surely righting the ship in Chicago.

The Bears of years past would've lost this game. The Bears of years past would've lost coming out of the bye.

But these aren't the Bears of the past.

There's something special brewing inside Halas Hall, and it's because of Ben Johnson.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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