Repeat.
Back fresh from their bye week, the Chicago Bears come into tonight’s game with the Washington Commanders with last seasons’ clash firmly in the forefront of their minds.
Twelve months ago, riding the crest of a wave with a 4-2 record, the Bears faced the 5-2 Commanders in an evenly matched game that would potentially clear the path to NFC dominance. You read that correctly!
If that sounds far from the realms of reality, it is worth remembering that CBS flexed last season’s game into the late window. The game that made way for this one? The low-key matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals!
The pull of the game was the number one and two draft picks going head to head, with the jury still out on who was the top quarterback of the 2024 draft class.
Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels had both shown flashes of brilliance in their opening games. Williams was coming off a four-touchdown performance in London, and Daniels was carrying a rib injury that caused him to exit the game early the week prior.
As time expired, neither quarterback had thrown a touchdown pass. That changed on the last play of the game when Daniels lofted a Hail Mary to the end zone.
It was tipped by a Bears defender into the hands of Noah Brown for the Commanders’ only touchdown of the day and an 18-15 victory.
This seasonal crossroad then saw the Bears slump to nine straight losses, whereas the Commanders overcame a mid-season wobble to go 6-3 in their next nine.
Bears keen to avoid déjà vu
As we come into tonight’s clash, we are at another crossroads, with the Bears sitting at 2-2 and the Commanders at 3-2.
The 23rd-ranked pass defense of the Commanders may be something the Bears can target, with Rome Odunze now looking more like Caleb Williams’ main target than DJ Moore.
Odunze has racked up at least one touchdown and seven targets in each of the Bears’ first four games.
On the flip side, the Commanders will look to target the Bears’ 31st-ranked run defense, which allowed a hat-trick of scores for Ashton Jeanty in Chicago’s last game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Schedule softening
The Bears’ immediate schedule has opened up slightly, with a home game against New Orleans followed by a couple of now-winnable clashes against Baltimore and Cincinnati.
However, we must expect that Lamar Jackson will be back for the clash with the Ravens.
We then hit a raft of games against Jekyll-and-Hyde opponents who are equally as likely to have an off-day as put in a world-class performance.
These games should go a long way to deciding whether the Bears can emerge from 2025 with a winning record.
Bears in London
For those Bears fans heading to London this coming weekend, the Beechwood Sports Pub has a Bears ‘fan takeover’, which culminates on Sunday with a watch party for the Bears vs Saints matchup.
The nearest station appears to be Liverpool Street, which will take at least an hour from Wembley should fans be attending the London game.
A full list of events can be found here, highlighted by Sunday’s festivities and a chance to meet Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman.
