LANDOVER, Md. — The NFL got the matchup they wanted on Sunday, when the Nos. 1 and 2 overall draft picks squared off in a contest between the Bears and Commanders.

Bears quarterback (and top selection) Caleb Williams was always scheduled to play. Jayden Daniels was less certain, but ended up starting despite a rib injury. That set things up well for a matchup that was flexed into a prominent afternoon window.

The defense from both teams also deserved top billing, with several huge plays that made scoring touchdowns hard. The Bears offense in particular looked disjointed in the first half, turned it around a bit in the fourth quarter, but a miraculous Hail Mary by Daniels and the Commanders gave Washington an incredible win here at Northwest Stadium.

Let’s take a look at the most important stats, moments and takeaways from this Week 8 contest:

Bair’s breakdown

The Bears offense looked so explosive during their three-game win streak, scoring tons of points while featuring their full complement of skill players in the run and pass.

That unit was a shadow of itself coming out of a Week 7 bye, struggling in every area during this matchup with a Washington Commanders defense that had struggled at times this season.

Caleb Williams wasn’t accurate. Poor line play – influenced by Braxton Jones’ knee injury – kept the rookie quarterback under near-constant duress. It didn’t seem like Williams and his receivers were in lock step, with some pass attempts not headed where the receiver went.

The Bears defense, as it is known to do, clamped down in the red zone and kept this one close heading into the fourth quarter.

D’Andre Swift made it even closer with a 56-yard touchdown run. And the defense started getting stops over forcing field goals.

Williams found a late rhythm and got the Bears to the 1-yard line, but a botched handoff between him and offensive lineman/fullback Doug Kramer botched the handoff exchange on third down. Yeah, you read that right. Kramer got a carry attempt.

But the defense got yet another stop and the Bears drove deep into Commanders territory, at the 1-yard line with 30 seconds left, and, like good teams do, the Bears came through in the clutch.

Roschon Johnson scored the go-ahead touchdown with 23 second left. While the offense was terrible most of this game. It came through when it mattered most.

But the defense couldn’t hold serve, and Jayden Daniels just stole the show with a touchdown pass as time expired.

The Williams and Daniels show didn’t disappoint, but the Bears came out on the wrong end of a difficult result. Had the offense been steadier early, this game might not have been so close at the end. — Scott Bair

Key stat

41.7%

Caleb Williams was brilliant in the fourth quarter — he was a perfect 3-for-3 on the penultimate drive that ended in a fumble at the 1-yard line — but struggled for much of the game. Williams finished 10-for-24, as he underthrew and overthrew open receivers on would-be big plays. If he had been able to complete a few more of those passes — does that result in longer drives and more points?

The Bears will never know, but Williams and the Bears will need to make sure those types of performances can be mitigated moving forward.

Pivot point

The Bears seemed destined to snatch an improbable win. Instead a 52-yard Hail Mary on the final play of the game gave the Commanders the most unlikeliest — yet probably deserving — 18-15 win.


The Commanders rookie QB kept the play alive then fired a ball short of the endzone, one that was swatted before falling into the hands of Noah Brown. It was an improbable play, yet the simplest of catches Brown will have had to make in his career.

What’s next

The Bears will go back on the road (again) to face an Arizona Cardinals team riding a two-game winning streak after beating the Chargers and Dolphins. Kyler Murray is starting to heat up, making this a tougher matchup than it appeared a few weeks back.

We have a big Bair Mail coming up on Wednesday. Send your questions to mailbag@marqueesportsnetwork.com.