Instant reactions to the Commanders’ narrow victory over the Bears

In what was one of the most unsatisfying wins a team can possibly have, the Washington Commanders broke their four-game losing streak with a narrow 12-7 win at Soldier Field. By narrow, think one inch narrow.

After Joey Slye missed a 48-yard field goal, the Bears marched down the field into a goal-to-go situation. Like the Commanders had done all night, they came up clutch in the red zone, stopping the Bears receiver at the one-inch line on 4th & Goal.

The good news is the win, as ugly as it may be, bought the Commanders some time to right the ship. The likelihood that occurs is unlikely but for now, a win is a win.

With that said, let’s dive into instant reactions to the Washington Commanders’ second win of the season.

Reactions to the Commanders’ narrow win over the Bears

The Offense

The Good 

• Brian Robinson ran hard and tough tonight for the Burgundy & Gold, as he ground out the tough yards in a low-scoring game in his first career start. He totaled 60 yards and a touchdown on the night.
• Terry McLaurin, once again, finds himself in this slot. On a night where yards were difficult to come by, McLaurin totaled nearly 30% of the team’s total yards. He remains a constant and consistent for a wildly inconsistent football team.
• Antonio Gibson, on limited carries, was incredibly efficient on the ground. He ran for seven yards a pop and was a solid check-down option for Wentz in the passing game.

The Bad 

• I will give 100% credit to Carson Wentz. He was banged up heading into the game, and he hurt his finger at the end of the second quarter. And he still played super hard and even pancaked Roquan Smith on one play. But his inaccuracies, inability to capably handle pressure and scattershot accuracy were particularly noticeable.
• The offensive line is still putrid at pass protection. It just doesn’t have enough consistency to give a largely immobile quarterback time in the pocket.
• The usually reliable Curtis Samuel had probably his worst game to date. He dropped a Carson Wentz seam ball that was his best pass of the night, and it surely would’ve gone for a touchdown. He had another drop on the next drive. Samuel didn’t provide that usual explosiveness tonight.
• The conservative playcalling to not go for the win at the end, nearly came back to haunt the Commanders. The conservative playcalling isn’t all on the coaching staff, there are personnel (offensive line) limitations, but at some point, aggressiveness is needed. Taking the kill shot against the inferior opponent was the play there, and not pulling the trigger nearly cost the Commanders in the end.

The Defense

The Good 

• The defensive line was dominant again today. Montez Sweat had 4 quarterback hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a sack. That is the second week in two Sweat consistently won against both run and pass. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen each combined for 3 QB hits, and 2 sacks. The Commanders’ three first-round picks on the front playing like this can keep them in ballgames.

• The red zone defense for the Commanders was elite tonight. On three red zone trips, the Bears came away with zero points. Washington’s ability to tighten up in the red zone won them the game.
• Kam Curl still is awesome. He is solid in coverage, and really good against the run. In the secondary, he is the team’s best player. Darrick Forrest is also looking like another day-three steal at safety.
• Efe Obada has slowly started to emerge as an exciting rotational piece. He had 3 quarterback hits, 1 quarterback hit, and a sack. On the interception, Fields’ pass went right off his helmet.

The Bad 

• William Jackson III just got benched, and Kendall Fuller may be getting close to that point. On one of the Bears’ lone explosive plays, Fuller was beaten horribly by Dante Pettis for a long touchdown reception. The better days of Fuller’s career may be over.
• Jamin Davis still just remains extremely average. He makes some splash plays but then he will blow an assignment. As a first-round pick, he still is struggling to live up to the bill.
• The two 12-men on the field penalties is frankly inexcusable to occur. The fact that were nearly three adds insult to injury.

Ultimately, the win is encouraging. But the long-term outlook still remains murky. The team didn’t trust Carson Wentz to throw the football in crunch time, despite giving up multiple assets for him. The offense averaged 4 yards a play.

Their defensive front is far too dominant at times to have another wasted season. The team had 2 (almost three!) too-many-men-on-the-field penalties. Absolutely inexcusable stuff. Still though, this team won’t be horrible most likely. The team seems to be destined again for 6-8 wins, which is an absolute worst-case scenario. A win is a win but it is ultimately unsatisfying.