The Washington Commanders are taking on the Chicago Bears for their Week 6 matchup. Check out this blog throughout the afternoon for stats, updates and more.
8:15 p.m.
The Commanders have won the toss and will defer to the second half. Let's play some football. Some things to watch here: how will the secondary fare with all the window dressing that is sure to come with the Bears' offense. The pass rush has to be disciplined tonight with Caleb as well.
8:22 p.m.
The Bears get on the board first. Jake Moody hits a 47-yarder to go up 3-0. As expected, there was a lot of movement from the Bears' offense and Caleb Williams -- a weak spot for the Commanders' defense all season. Chicago finally stalled at the Commanders' 30-yard line, but there's going to be even more motion coming up.
Now for the Commanders to respond. The Bears have one of the worst run defenses in the league, so there should be a healthy dose of Bill Croskey-Merritt tonight.
8:32 p.m.
Jayden Daniels throws his first interception of the year. He was targeting Deebo Samuel and looked like he had him, but Jaquon Brisker jumped in front of it.
On a positive note, it's clear the Commanders can move the ball against the Bears' defense, but they can't afford to give the Bears any lifelines.
8:40 p.m.
The Bears tack onto their lead with another field goal from Moody, this time from 48 yards out. The Bears seem to run into problem around the 30-yard line. This time, it was an offensive pass interference call that threw off their rhythm. And the Bears are starting to try some deep shots. Quan Martin broke up a pass to Rome Odunze, but there will be many more attempts to gash the secondary tonight.
8:48 p.m.
We're at the end of the first quarter, and the Bears are in scoring position again. Croskey-Merritt fumbled the ball on the second play of the Commanders' ensuing drive, giving the Bears a short field and all the momentum in their favor. Slow starts have been a big issue for the Commanders.
8:55 p.m.
We're in familiar territory for the Commanders as Caleb Williams puts the Bears up 13-0. Coming into tonight, they started with a deficit of at least 10 points in three of their five games.
9:03 p.m.
An absolutely unreal throw and catch by Jayden Daniels to Chris Moore to make the score 13-7. The Commanders were given by a blessing off a facemask call by the Bears, but there were nearly another disaster off a fumble by Daniels. Either way, the Commanders have life, and now they need a stop from the defense, who has given up 122 yards to the Bears.
9:19 p.m.
If anyone ever questions the phrase "every yard counts," point to what just happened at Northwest Stadium. Dan Quinn challenged a one-yard completion and got the call reversed. Three plays later, the Commanders force a turnover on downs on a fourth-and-1.
Every. Yard. Counts.
9:43 p.m.
We're at halftime, and while things could certainly be better, the Commanders are not in a bad spot down just six points with the chance to get the ball back in the third back. The biggest challenge for the offense: stop shooting itself in the foot. The two turnovers they gave up led to a double-digit lead for the Bears, and it took some time for the Commanders to get going. No more turnovers. Sustain drives, get the run game going and stay on the field.
9:59 p.m.
The Commanders were driving well until an intentional grounding call moved them to a third-and-15. At least Gay's 53-yard attempt was good, making the score 13-10 in the Bears' favor.
10:09 p.m.
The Commanders finally got to Williams. Chicago drove all the way to the Commanders' 23-yard line before Dorance Armstrong recorded his sixth sack of the season, which sent Jake Moody out for a 41-yard field goal. It's 16-10 in the Bears' favor, and the Commanders are in serious need of a momentum-swinging play.
