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Washington Post (paywall)
How do Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams compare? A statistical look.
The numbers confirm what’s becoming clear: The rookie quarterbacks for the Commanders and Bears can both play.
Williams and the Bears are 4-2 and coming off their bye week, which followed their most impressive showing yet, a 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. Williams completed 23 of 29 passes, had 226 passing yards and became only the fourth rookie quarterback to toss at least four touchdown passes and run for at least 50 yards in a game.
Coupled with his 304 passing yards against the Panthers on Oct. 6, Williams has shown a comfort level in offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s scheme that seemed to be missing in the early weeks.
The Bears’ protection up front was initially poor this season — Williams was sacked 13 times in Weeks 1 through 3 — and its running game was ineffective, averaging 73 yards per game to rank 31st in that span. Williams also had five of his six turnovers in those first three weeks.
But with adjustments to the offense — Waldron met with the team’s leadership council after that Sept. 22 loss to the Colts — the Bears have recently been humming.
Daniels, meanwhile, has played like a veteran almost from the outset with his decision-making behind the line and pinpoint accuracy. His 10 touchdowns (six passing, four rushing) are the most among rookies through Week 7, and his 372 rushing yards are the second-most among quarterbacks, trailing Lamar Jackson.
Daniels’s expected points added (EPA) per dropback, essentially a measure of a quarterback’s added value on pass plays, is a league-high 0.29, compared with Williams’s negative-0.06 (21st).
Few can throw a deep ball or escape a free rusher like Daniels, which is largely why Washington has 50 explosive plays (a rush of 10-plus yards or a pass of 20-plus).
ESPN
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels practices, could play vs. Bears
Quinn said during this period Daniels was inside working on strengthening and conditioning his core area. He later joined the session for full-team drills. Quinn said there were no limitations on Daniels on Friday and he called it a “good day” for his rookie passer.
When he was at practice, Quinn said they tested his ability to scramble and make throws as well as his sudden movements vs. a blitz or other pressure.
Daniels did not practice Wednesday and Thursday. But, Quinn said, they followed the plan they laid out for Daniels at the beginning of the week — including for Friday.
“You have to push it to see where you’re at,” Quinn said. “He keeps knocking down the steps and now we’ll [go] through them again [Saturday].”
Daniels said he’s confident the organization will make the right decision about him playing Sunday.
The Athletic (paywall)
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels returns to practice Friday, questionable vs. Bears
Head coach Dan Quinn said no decision has been made on whether Daniels will be active as the Commanders (5-2) host the Bears (4-2). Daniels was absent during the initial portion of practice open to reporters but later joined his teammates on Washington’s outdoor practice field.
“I want to play. It’s not my decision,” Daniels said of his Sunday status following practice. “Ultimately, the trainers, (general manager) Adam (Peters) and DQ will make the decision.”
All the games count equally in the standings, but significant hype surrounds this matchup featuring Heisman Trophy winners Williams and Daniels, the first and second players selected in April’s draft. The Bears have won three consecutive games, with Williams throwing seven touchdown passes and one interception over that span.
Defensive end Dorance Armstrong (rib) is also listed as questionable for Sunday’s game after missing last week’s game against Carolina, while rookie offensive tackle Brandon Coleman (concussion) has been ruled out.
Commanders.com
Three keys to Washington taking down the Bears
3. Force the Bears into a slow start and take advantage of it.
The Commanders are one of the best teams at getting off to strong starts, as their 5.3 points scored in first quarters is tied for 10th in the league. Conversely, the Bears are one of the worst, as they average just 1.7 points scored in the first quarter. They have just one first-quarter touchdown in six games.
This is an advantage the Commanders must press on Sunday, because the Bears do eventually find some momentum. Though they started all four of their wins in deficits, they’ve surged back by averaging the eighth most points in second quarters.
Thanks to their defense, which has not allowed more than 21 points scored against them all season, the Bears haven’t stayed in deficits for long. It has allowed their offense time to get on track and Williams to get in a rhythm.
There are a few ways for the Commanders to put pressure on Williams; one is through the traditional method of Frankie Luvu, Dante Fowler Jr. and the rest of the Commanders’ pass rush doing what they do best, while the other is the offense taking advantage of every scoring opportunity, which they have done better than almost every team in league history.
ESPN
NFL Week 8 picks, schedule, odds, injuries, fantasy tips
Bears (4-2) at Commanders (5-2)
4:25 p.m. ET | CBS | ESPN BET: CHI -3 (43.5 O/U)
Bears storyline to watch: The Bears’ defense enters Week 8 having allowed 21 points or fewer in 12 straight games. Extending that streak will be a challenge against Washington’s high-powered offense, which ranks third in points per game (30.1) and fourth in yards (384.1). This will be the stiffest test Chicago has faced, particularly against a top-three rushing attack (165.4 yards per game) led by RB Brian Robinson Jr.’s 4.7 yards per carry. For as dominant as the Bears have been defensively, their one weakness is against the run. The Commanders’ offense leads the NFL with 14 rushing touchdowns and might be more reliant on the ground game if QB Jayden Daniels can’t play. — Courtney Cronin
Commanders storyline to watch: Washington’s defense has slowly improved and, in the past four weeks, the Commanders rank fourth in points allowed per game (16) and seventh in yards per game (293). The only team to hurt them defensively — and beat them — during this stretch was Baltimore. Meanwhile, the Bears’ offense also has played better during this same stretch. In the past four weeks, Chicago ranks fifth in scoring (31.7) and 12th in yards gained (353.7). Washington’s tackling was much better last week versus Carolina, as was its communication in the secondary to prevent big plays. The latter will be important on Sunday. — John Keim
Stat to know: Commanders coach Dan Quinn is seeking to start 6-2 in his first season with a second franchise after doing the same with Atlanta in 2015. Only two other coaches have done that in the past 100 years (Jim Caldwell and Jon Gruden).
Injuries: Bears | Commanders
Fantasy X factor: Bears WR DJ Moore. Moore has scored 10-plus fantasy points in five straight games, including a 27.5-point performance against the Panthers in Week 5. He has another favorable matchup, along with QB Caleb Williams, against a defense that’s allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to receivers. See Week 8 rankings. — Moody
Betting nugget: The Commanders are 6-1 ATS this season, tied with the Colts for the best ATS record in the NFL. Read more.
Upcoming opponent
Commanders Wire
Bears receive tough injury news ahead of showdown vs. Commanders
Chicago will be without starting safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Kyler Gordon against the Commanders.
Gordon injured his hamstring two weeks ago in the win over Jacksonville. He has 33 tackles, including three tackles for loss, one pass breakup, 0.5 sack and two fumble recoveries. Gordon is considered one of the NFL’s better slot cornerbacks.
Windy City Gridiron
Bears vs. Commanders: Keys to the game
The key this week is going to slowing down Jayden Daniels, should he play. The big thing is containing him in the pocket with a spy or bringing extra pressure with well-timed blitzes. If the secondary is still banged up, the backups will have a tougher time containing Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. Plus, all hands on deck to contain Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson, too. For the offense, the Commanders have struggled defensively, but they have some pieces like Bobby Wagner, Dante Fowler and Jeremy Chinn. The interior OL will have their hands full with Daron Payne. Use D’Andre Swift to keep them from teeing off and open up the play-action game.
Heading into Sunday’s game, Washington’s offense leads the league in multiple key statistical categories. While Chicago’s defense isn’t quite up to the same level, they’ve been excellent in their own right. The offense should score points against a bottom 10 defense but don’t be surprised if the Bears’ 12-game streak of holding opponents to 21 points or less comes to an end on Sunday. It goes without saying, but fans should like their chances better with Marcus Mariota behind center.
With Washington’s pass-heavy attack that focuses more on one-read throws, mixing up coverage looks and getting the defensive backs to break on the ball will be huge.
On offense, the Bears are going up against a below-average unit, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that Washington doesn’t have talent. The Commanders have one of the highest sack percentages in the NFL and have six players who have racked up 2 or more sacks already – and that does not even include Daron Payne. It will be important for the Bears to contain Jer’Zhan Newton, Dante Fowler, Bobby Wagner, and others so that Caleb Williams has time to pick apart an underwhelming secondary.
Hogs Haven
Washington Commanders vs Chicago Bears: Five Questions with Windy City Gridiron
I asked Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron five questions to better understand the state of the Bears and what to look for in this game.
Zimmerman:
The growth of Caleb Williams has been truly remarkable. It’s like nothing I’ve seen recently in the NFL and it’s a completely foreign concept to the city of Chicago. What’s largely happened here is seeing the game and understanding the game. The Bears didn’t have a simplified version of their offense like many teams do with rookie quarterbacks. They gave Williams the keys to the offense on September 1st and said, “Figure it out, kid.” Now obviously there was guidance there from the coaches, but he is more active presnap than any QB we’ve seen in Chicago. At times he looks like Peyton Manning.
There’s a lot of reason to be excited about Williams in Chicago and it’s not because of the physical gifts that were present on his college tape, it’s that he appears to understand the game at a level that only the truly elite quarterbacks do and it’s because of that, that there’s more hope in Chicago at the QB position than there has been, well, ever.
I know I’m going to sound like a homer, but it’s not easy to have a successful game plan against this Bears defense. Their secondary is very sticky, their linebackers are decent in coverage and against the run, and the defensive line has been stronger than I expected. For much of the season, teams have been able to run on the Bears. Opponents are averaging 4.6 yards per carry against the Bears, but they are still managing to make key stops when they need to. The Bears are 5th in the league in yards allowed per game, 4th in points allowed per game, 3rd in takeaways and their defensive DVOA is 7th.
Podcasts & videos
Will Jayden Daniels Play? Bears vs Commanders – Episode 8
Brian Robinson Jr on Jayden Daniels Injury, Kingsbury’s Offense, Commanders Culture, & More