Commanders Vs. Bears – Studs and Duds

The banged-up Commanders, who were playing without rookie left tackle Brandon Coleman, lost Cornelius Lucas during the game, and had their rookie signal caller dealing with a rib injury, marched the ball up and down the field against a good Chicago defense all game long, amassing 481 total yards of offense. The issue – they could not find the endzone until the game’s final play.

Washington had a touchdown dropped by tight end Zach Ertz as he went to the ground in the endzone, and had one called back on a very questionable illegal man downfield call against Sam Cosmi on a screen to Olamide Zaccheaus.

Austin Seibert’s four field goals had Washington leading until late in the fourth quarter when the Bears got a pass interference call on a fourth and three to give them a first down at the one-yard line. They were able to punch the ball in and take the lead with very little time left on the clock. It looked like Washington would drop to 5-3 on the season and fall to second place in the NFC East. That is until the improbable happened!

In what may have been the greatest play I have witnessed in my time as a Washington fan, Jayden Daniels, with time expiring on the game clock, bought time in the backfield and heaved a 65-yard bomb that was perfectly tipped into the waiting arms of Noah Brown for the game-winning touchdown. The stadium erupted and coaches and players went wild – while Emmanuel Forbes consoled the Bears’ defensive backs who were sitting in shock on the field.

It was truly a magical moment!

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some notes.

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Studs:

Jayden Daniels – Playing with banged-up ribs, the rookie signal caller gutted out one hell of a performance against the Chicago Bears, and easily out-dueled fellow rookie Caleb Williams on his way to 378 combined yards and a Hail-Mary touchdown on the last play to win the game for Washington. What we are witnessing is truly remarkable week-in-and-week-out.

Terry McLaurin – McLaurin had five receptions for 125 yards against a good Bears secondary. He even got a bit fiery on the sidelines yapping across the field to Chicago defenders. Through eight games, he’s on his way to set new career-high marks in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

Noah Brown – Right place at the right time? ABSOLUTELY! Despite a rather pedestrian game up until the very end, which included an uncharacteristic drop, Brown got behind the defense on the game’s final play and had the tipped ball go right into his waiting hands to secure the miracle win for Washington.

Frankie Luvu – Once again, Frankie Luvu had a major impact on the game, collecting six tackles, multiple pressures, and contributing on a huge sack late in the game that pushed the Bears out of field goal range.

Jer’Zhan Newton – Newton had his best game as a pro, recording three tackles, three quarterback hits, his first NFL sack and a fumble recovery at the goal line.

Tyrique Stevenson – The Bears rookie corner was seen taunting Commanders’ fans near the endzone on the final play of the game. He had his back turned to the play when the ball was snapped. Funny how things happen, because he was the one who came flying in at the end and actually tipped the ball up into the endzone and into the hands of Noah Brown. KARMA IS A BITCH – and Commanders fans thank you for your actions!

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Duds:

Benjamin St-Juste – The defensive backs were fairly solid all game – that is until crunch-time. With the game essentially on the line on a fourth down and three, St-Juste reverted back to his grabby ways, committing a pass interference on Keenan Allen in the endzone that placed the ball at the one-yard line. The Bears would go on to punch the ball in and take the lead for the first time in the game.

Trent Scott – I know he’s a backup to a backup, but after coming into the game due to Lucas’ injury, Scott struggled mightily against the Bears’ edge rush.

Emmanuel Forbes – Forbes barely played, but when he did, he showed how much of a liability he was on defense. He doesn’t cover very well and he’s a poor tackler. I won’t be surprised when he outright released.

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Notes:

• There were some calls made late in the game by Dan Quinn and the Commanders’ coaching staff that I did not agree with – but ultimately, they didn’t come back to haunt us.
• Washington running backs did get 25 touches and averaged 4.8 yards per carry. However, there were times in the game where I wanted to see Robinson get fed more.
• Daron Payne had a nice game, recording four total tackles, one for a loss, a sack and 2 pressures.
• Washington held Caleb Williams to 131 passing yards on just 41.7% completion percentage with no touchdowns. He had a QBR of 36.1.
• On national tight end day, Zach Ertz let the team in receptions with seven and had 77 receiving yards. If it wasn’t for the dropped touchdown, he’d have secured Stud status.
• Jalyn Holmes recorded a sack and QB pressure on the afternoon.
• Unlike Forbes, Mike Sainristil is NOT afraid to come up and tackle!