14 Thoughts On The Bears Exacting Stunning Revenge On The Commanders

LANDOVER, Md. -- Usually, a return trip to your hometown can be fun, refreshing, and invigorating. And I'm sure Caleb Williams had this trip to Washington D.C. circled on his calendar for a while. He could go see some friends and family, and maybe even get some home cooking.

And oh yeah... Get revenge.

Yes, the Chicago Bears returned to last year's scene of the crime - almost one calendar year removed from the game that dismantled their 2024 campaign. The storylines were quite easy this week... as was the media's happiness to air reruns of the infamous Hail Mary that torpedoed the Bears' season. We already know: Caleb Williams last-minute heroic TD drive. Matt Eberflus not guarding the sidelines. Tyrique Stevenson taunting the crowd. And then the tip to Noah Brown.

Confusion. Pandemonium. Disaster.

Ben Johnson wasn't part of it last year, and he's made sure to emphasize that. The Bears came out of their bye week to take on the Washington Commanders tonight -- on the heels of a sloppy but heroic win in Las Vegas. Through the four games, the Bears were 2-2 and looked very much like a team figuring it out. Promise but inconsistency on offense. Discombobulation but capitalization on defense.

What would the Bears solve coming out of their bye week in an attempt to flip the narrative on Jayden Daniels and the Commanders?

The answer: The Bears rode a tremendous running game, explosive plays, timely turnovers, and the LEG OF JAKE MOODY en route to Ben Johnson's signature win. Tremendous.

I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the game below. Follow me on X @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Thoughts and Observations

1. (PREGAME) -- The Bears' rushing defense has been an abomination so far in 2025. Guess who has one of the best rushing attacks in the league? Washington. I think the returns of Kyler Gordon and T.J. Edwards can certainly help, but the Bears have been bullied at the point of attack far too often for them to be an effective band-aid. This unit needs more (and better) investment. I'm concerned that Washington will be able to control the ball and the game by easily gaining six yards on each play. What good is the Bears' top-ranked third down defense if they can't get to third down?

2. Oh man, what a start in this one. The Bears took the ball first and methodically got down to the Commanders' 30ish yard line -- relying on a suddenly feisty running game! The drive did stall, and Jake Moody nailed his first field goal attempt from 47 yards in a Bears uniform to put Chicago up 3-0.

On defense, the Bears got the Commanders into a couple of third downs, but allowed them into the red zone, riding a soft but correct "roughing" call on Montez Sweat that should've set up a 3rd and 8. But Jaquan Brisker baited Jayden Daniels into a dig route to the end zone and undercut it near the goal line to turn Washington away. The takeaway Bears are still alive and well.

3. Bears did get another field goal on their second drive, but man, Caleb's accuracy is just a tad off. He underthrew a deep ball to Rome Odunze (who was wide open and behind the defense). He had another miscommunication with Olamide Zacchaeus. But my biggest issue was not hitting D.J. Moore completely in stride on a crosser -- they connected on a first down, but Moore had to go to the ground. Could've been a bigger gain in stride. Still, Bears up 6-0.

4. Really love what I'm seeing from the Bears' running game today. It's varied, they've moved to indexing on the wide zone scheme a bit, and the blocking has been excellent. They're using all three backs. And they're hitting the right holes. If this is going to be the new direction for this run game, that's a major win. First half has been pretty excellent on this front.

5. I'm usually of the belief that bad referee calls even out over the course of the season. But in the minutiae of this game, that phantom facemask on Nahshon Wright turned a punt into a touchdown. That's an unbelievable swing of circumstance and momentum. 13-7 Bears.

On the ensuing possession, the Bears rode a strong running game (again) into Commanders territory. I liked the decision to go for it on 4th and 1, but the decision to go play-action pass (while understandable) seemed a little unnecessary. The run game has been fantastic tonight and they passed up the chance to keep pounding it. Caleb didn't see Frankie Luvu as the hook defender and is lucky his pass wasn't picked. But a turnover on downs nonetheless...

6. Ugh, wasted opportunity before halftime. The Commanders set the Bears up in good position after their field goal attempt clanged off the left upright (great job by Dennis Allen, btw). But the Bears couldn't even get a first down. Caleb and Moore couldn't connect on a back-shoulder throw on first down, and on third down, Caleb opted not to throw to his hot read on an all-out blitz and instead took a hard hit sack near the sideline. He really hasn't played well in the first half, all things considered. He needs to be much better for the Bears to pull this one out.

Bears are up 13-7 at the half, but the way the officiating and the suboptimal opportunity-grabbing has gone, the Bears feel like they're in a precarious spot. Washington's ball after halftime.

<HALFTIME>

7. An "illegal formation" call wipes out a gorgeous TD grab by Rome Odunze as the Bears tried to answer the Commanders' half-opening field goal. The call was on Theo Benedet -- and here's the catch -- he was totally in a legal formation. The Bears settled for three points in another situation where they were robbed for four others.

And then a missed pick-play by the officials on Washington's ensuing drive led to a fourth-down conversion en route to a touchdown to take the lead. I said this earlier, but this is just blatant at this stage. Truly blatant.

Like, even Troy Aikman defended the Bears on the broadcast! Do you know how major that is?

The Bears are playing fairly well tonight overall, but they are not good enough to beat the Commanders AND the refs.

8. As much as the refs are screwing them, the Bears will lament their missed opportunities. Williams threw an unnecessary heater to OZ when he also had room to run to pick up yards. And on third down just before the end of the quarter, they bobbled the snap which resulted in a sack. And then Jake Moody's FG attempt to open the fourth quarter was blocked.....

....Which the Commanders took and walked down the field for a touchdown. Very little resistance. 24-16.

Just from rough to worse. They can compete with a team like the Commanders. But they're just not good enough yet.

9. Maybe I was hasty, maybe I wasn't. But D'Andre Swift took a 3rd and 4 flat route, made a guy miss, and motored 55 yards to the house. A beautiful individual effort from a guy who heard the noise all week and came to play today. Williams missed Monangai in the flat on the 2 point attempt to keep it 24-22 Washington, but that's an "against the run of play" touchdown to get the Bears back in it.

And after a garbage roughing call on Jaquan Brisker where he was pushed into Daniels, the Bears still held for a punt to get the ball back. They're fighting.

10. This is shaping up to be a silly finish. A "who is this penalty really on?" wiped out a first down catch from Cole Kmet to put the Bears backed up. And a bad, bad drop from OZ (nothing but green grass in front) ruined their chances to flip the game there.

On the Commanders' possession, a crucial 3rd and 1 handoff between Daniels and a RB was simply lost in the misty rain, and Wright fell on it for a critical recovery. Unreal sequence, giving the Bears a chance to go for the win. Just a ridiculous football game.

11. This is before any outcome of this final drive.... D'Andre Swift has been SENSATIONAL tonight. And huge kudos to the OL. Just a beautiful all-round game. They've really figured things out.

12. The Bears played for the field goal on a rainy and windy night... and Jake Moody DRILLED IT! What a sensational win for the Bears. Truly sensational. I'd given up - and Swift changed everything in the blink of an eye. Amazing.

13. This is a signature win for Ben Johnson. Overcoming one of the worst-officiated games I've ever seen and making key plays in key moments. Brilliantly called game on offense. Just a beautiful outcome.

14. The Bears finally head home to Soldier Field on Sunday to take on a feisty New Orleans Saints team. Spencer Rattler and that offense have been impressive. It's a revenge game for Dennis Allen. Should be a fun one. I think the Bears are finding themselves, despite what the refs would have you believe. I think they get back on track.

Early prediction: Bears 27, Saints 23.