Bears’ Jake Moody connects on late field goal to beat Commanders

LANDOVER, Md. — For a while, it felt like Chicago’s Week 6 win at Washington would play out like the last time the Bears were on “Monday Night Football” to start the season, with a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bears had a double-digit lead on the Commanders and squandered it thanks to a combination of blown coverages, settling for field goals over touchdowns, penalties and overall sloppy play.

But this time, nearing the one-year anniversary of the Bears’ last trip to Northwest Stadium that ended in devastation on a Hail Mary, Chicago capitalized on its opponent’s late-game mistake and came away with a 25-24 win to mark back-to-back road victories.

Jake Moody booted a 38-yard field goal as time expired, hours after he was elevated to the game-day roster with kicker Cairo Santos dealing with a quad injury.

Quarterback Caleb Williams wasn’t perfect in his DC-area homecoming. But winning ugly continues to be a theme for the Bears, who won their third game coming off a bye week since 2013.

Turning point: The Bears trailed 24-22 when Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt botched their exchange near midfield. Chicago recovered the fumble and gave Williams and the offense the final 3:07 to get back on track and turn an ugly game into triumph with a game-winning drive. Chicago had all three of its timeouts to utilize down the stretch as it set up for Moody’s winning kick in the rain and wind.

Most surprising performance: Running back D’Andre Swift came into Week 5 averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Just like last season against the Commanders, Swift broke through against Washington with a season-high 108 rushing yards while finally generating the chunk plays (7.7 yards per carry) the Bears’ run game had been seeking. Chicago’s lead rusher also came away with the second-longest reception of his career, a short pass that he took 55 yards down the Commanders’ sideline for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Defending the deep ball. Daniels had three completions on throws at least 20 yards against the Bears’ defense, including two touchdowns. Despite the Bears being in their dime defense late in the third quarter, somehow none of Chicago’s defensive backs remembered to cover Washington receiver Luke McCaffrey, who was left wide open for a 33-yard touchdown off a wheel route. — Courtney Cronin

Next game: vs. New Orleans Saints (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Commanders didn’t need another Hail Mary to beat the Chicago Bears. They just needed to take better care of the ball.

And they didn’t.

And it cost them.

The Commanders turned the ball over for a third time late in the fourth quarter while clinging to a two-point lead. It led to Chicago driving for the winning field goal — and returning the favor of exiting this field with heartbreak.

One year ago, Daniels tossed a 52-yard Hail Mary to beat the Bears. But Washington’s defense continues to struggle — and that points to more pain if it doesn’t improve as the season unfolds. The Commanders could not stop a Chicago ground attack that had struggled entering the game.

But it was the turnovers that did them in: Daniels threw a red zone interception that not only cost them a field goal attempt, it led to Chicago driving for one of its own. Rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt then lost a fumble that led to a Bears touchdown.

Daniels then failed to execute a handoff to Croskey-Merritt that gave Chicago the ball at its 44 and led to the winning field goal.

Quarterback performance: Daniels had a terrific night — and two killer plays. He threw for 211 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 52 yards. He kept drives alive with his legs, and he made the passing game work with big plays despite missing top receiver Terry McLaurin for a third consecutive game. But Daniels tossed an interception and failed to execute a handoff late, leading to a fumble. Also, the Bears consistently applied pressure on him when Washington used an empty formation; the Commanders did not adjust well enough to that look.

Biggest hole in the game plan: Washington struggled versus Swift. The running back had not gained more than 78 yards from scrimmage in any of his first four games this season. Yet, he rushed for 108 yards and caught two passes for 67. He consistently burned Washington. The Bears did a good job opening holes for him, but coach and playcaller Ben Johnson also helped by calling misdirection runs.

Trend to watch: Croskey-Merritt fumbled for the second consecutive game. He has done a nice job, but at times, doesn’t protect the ball well enough — and it has hurt him when running through the middle. There’s a lot to like about him, and he rushed for 175 yards combined in those two games, but it’s something to monitor. — John Keim

Next game: at Dallas Cowboys (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)