Turnovers doom Commanders in prime-time loss to Bears

The Commanders could’ve used some of last season’s Hail Mary magic at home on Monday night. Jayden Daniels and company fell to the visiting Chicago Bears 25-24 in a performance riddled with errors. 

The Commanders turned the ball over three times, including on a botched handoff with three minutes remaining that allowed the Bears to drive down the field for a game-winning 38-yard field goal as time expired. 

The game began inauspiciously for Washington with a pair of turnovers in a lopsided opening quarter. After allowing the Bears to kick a field goal on their opening drive, the Commanders marched down the field and threatened to match with a score of their own. 

But Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels made an uncharacteristic mistake when he saw wide receiver Deebo Samuel streaking into the end zone. The signal-caller missed the route, allowing Bears safety Jaquan Brisker to hop in front for the interception. 

It was the first interception of the season for the typically risk-averse Daniels. 

Chicago took advantage, adding another field goal to open up a 6-0 lead. The slow start continued on Washington’s next drive, as rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt fumbled on the second play of the series. 

The Bears recovered the loose ball and scored their first touchdown of the game on a one-yard run by quarterback Caleb Williams. 

The next drive almost featured another disaster for Washington. With Daniels scrambling toward the red zone, the ball squirted out of his hand, an unlucky result on a routine play. Fortunately for the sold-out crowd at Northwest Stadium, the ball bounced right back into Daniels’ arms. He didn’t even have to break stride. 

Then the Commanders woke up. 

Daniels tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to receiver Chris Moore on the next play. It was the veteran pass-catcher’s first score since 2022, when he played with the Houston Texans. 

The Commanders’ second-year signal-caller was nearly flawless for the remainder of the game, tossing three touchdowns and 211 yards as he led a Washington comeback. 

The Bears didn’t go away quietly. 

Chicago maintained their lead through the final minutes of the third quarter until Daniels found second-year receiver Luke McCaffrey for a 33-yard touchdown that gave Washington its first lead of the day. 

The Commanders faked a screen, allowing McCaffrey to run wide open down the sideline, waltzing into the end zone for his third touchdown grab of the season. 

The Bears responded by marching down the field, again settling for a field goal attempt near the Commanders’ 30-yard line.

But after an inconsistent outing, the Commanders’ defensive front stepped up as the Bears tried to regain the lead. They surged into the backfield, blocking kicker Jake Moody’s fourth attempt of the game.

Daniels led another touchdown, this time culminating in a six-yard touchdown to tight end Zach Ertz, to push Washington’s lead to eight points. 

Williams and the Bears kept it close. Running back D’Andre Swift took a third-down pass 55 yards for a score, cutting the lead. The following two-point conversion — a potential equalizer — fell incomplete, though.

Williams completed 17 of 29 passes for 252 yards with one touchdown. Swift led all runners with 108 yards on the ground, adding 67 yards as a receiver.  

And the Commanders weren’t done making mistakes. A botched handoff between Daniels and Croskey-Merritt resulted in a fumble near midfield, giving the Bears the ball with a chance to regain the lead with three minutes remaining. 

Chicago marched down the field with Swift consistently gashing the Washington front for back-breaking gains. 

As time expired, Moody sent the game-winning quick squarely through the uprights. 

The Commanders (3-3) head to Dallas to face the rival Cowboys on Sunday.