Three Straight! Bears stun Commanders with walk-off field goal

Geoff Burke - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 4 hours ago

WASHINGTON, DC - Coming off their bye week, the Chicago Bears (3-2) looked to put together their first three-game winning streak in five years as they traveled to the nation's Capital for Monday Night football. In what is now known as the scene of the crime, if you are referring to the infamous Fail Mary from a season ago, the Bears were back at Soldier Field, looking to erase that nightmare from their memories.

In what could be the beginning of another Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady rivalry, the Bears and Washington Commanders (3-3) are two of the younger teams in the NFC, with both teams having playoff aspirations this season. As expected, this came down to the final play as both teams exchanged heymakers throughout the game. However, it was the Bears making the plays when it counted, as a late fumble helped set things up for Jake Moody, who banged home 38 38-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bears a 25-24 win.

It was the fourth field goal of the night for Moody, who was added to the roster last minute after Cairo Santos was ruled inactive, and boy did he come through in a big way. Moody and the Bears' defense did most of the damage early as he connected for a 47-yard field goal on the Bears' opening possession, only to have Jaquon Brisker come away with an interception at the goal line to kill a would-be Washington touchdown.

The Bears saw their next possession stall out in the end, but with Moody connecting from 48 yards out, it was Chicago quickly in front 6-0. That was only the start of what was an impressive beginning to the game, as the Chicago defense responded with their second takeaway in as many possessions, with Montez Sweat forcing a fumble, only to have Kyler Gordon pounce on the ball, giving the ball back to Chicago.

Looking to capitalize on the short field, Caleb Williams made the throws he needed to make with Rome Odunze and DJ Moore, but it was his legs that provided the game's first touchdown as he rushed it in from one yard out to put Chicago on top 13-0. Despite the Commanders driving right down the field on their next possession, it was the defense nearly coming away with another takeaway, only to have the Commanders pounce on their own fumble.

One play later, and this was a 13-7 game as Jayden Daniels escaped the pressure to extend the play before finding Chris Moore for the 22-yard touchdown to make this a 13-7 game. Those were the final points of the half for either side as the Bears turned the ball over on downs on their final possession, only to have the Commanders miss a late field goal heading into the half.

If you thought the first half was exciting, the second half brought even more excitement as you're starting to get the feeling that is how a lot of these games could go. After Matt Gay and Moody exchanged field goals early in the second half to maintain the Bears' 16-10 lead, it was the Commanders' offense that started to take shape as Chicago's inability to find the endzone was going to cost them.

As expected, rookie Jacory Coskey-Merritt played a key role in the Commanders' offensive success, continuing to be one of the steals of the draft. His ability to churn out the tough yardage made things easier for Daniels and the passing game, evident by the 33-yard strike to Luke McCaffrey to put the Commanders on top for the first time, 17-16.

Things only got worse from there for the Bears as they pushed the ball into field goal range on their next possession, only to come away empty on a blocked attempt, which has been an issue for Chicago all season. Immediately following the blocked field goal, the Commanders' offense went back to work as they looked to put the game away early in the fourth.

This time, it was the passing attack that got things going, with Jaylin Lane hauling in a 37-yard completion on second and long to move the ball inside the 10, where Zach Ertz finished things off from six yards out, giving the Commanders a 24-16 lead. Not to be outdone, it was the Bears answering in a hurry as they pulled within 24-22 in just over a minute.

Leave it to D'Andre Swift for that as he accounted for all 61 yards on the Bears' next possession, capped off by the 55-yard touchdown that pulled Chicago within 24-22. If anyone deserves a game ball, Swift is that guy, as his 175 yards from scrimmage are the second most in Bears history against the Commanders, only behind Walter Payton and his 177 in 1980.

Still trailing by two with just over six minutes to go, it was now or never for the Bears as the Commanders did their best to run out the clock. For the most part, things were looking bleak for Chicago as the 15-yard strike to Jeremy McNichols inched the ball toward midfield and had the Bears' defense on the ropes.

Still, it was the defense that came through when Chicago needed them most, as a botched snap from Daniels resulted in a Nashon Wright fumble recovery, giving the Bears the ball back with just over three minutes to go and only needing a field goal to win. These are the situations that Chicago has struggled in over the past few seasons, but after Williams hooked up with Coleston Loveland on a third and short to move the chains, you had a feeling that things could be different in this one.

Three runs from Swift, including the big 15-yarder to put the ball in Washington territory, and it was the Bears set up to kick a game-winning field goal as Moody trotted out from 38 yards away. Given the Bears' rough history with special teams, there was an uneasy feeling heading into this kick. That feeling went from uncomfortable to pure excitement as Moody banged home his fourth and final field goal of the night to give Chicago the walk-off 25-24 win as time expired.

As mentioned, Swift had a monster day, racking up 175 total yards and a season high 108 yards on the ground as he averaged 7.7 yards per carry. Despite his struggles early on, Williams still put together a strong game, completing 17 of his 29 passes for 252 yards and another score.