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Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders Week 8 Game Day Preview

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Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders Week 8 Game Day Preview

Chicago Bears (4-2) At Washington Commanders (5-2)

Where: Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD.

Kick-off: 3:25 PM

TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)

Radio: ESPN AM-1000 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie)

Compass (Chris Carrino, Brian Baldinger)

Spanish radio: Latino Mix 93.5 (Omar Ramos, Mateo Moreno)

The line: Wears at 2 1/2, over/under 43 1/2

Bears on SI choice: Bears 26, Commanders 20

The series: The 54th meeting overall, with Washington ahead 27-25-1. The Bears have won the last two games in Washington, including 40-20 last year, and have won two of the last three. Before those three, Washington had won seven in a row. The road team won six of the last seven games in this series.

The coaches: Bears coach Matt Eberflus is in his third season and is 14-26, including 1-1 against the Commanders. Eberflus teams are 3-16 on the road and 1-1 after the bye weeks.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn is 51-46 in six NFL seasons and is in his first season as Commanders coach. He led the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LI and was their coach from 2015-2020. Quinn and Jim Caldwell were Eberflus finalists for the Bears job in 2022 when Eberflus was hired. Quinn was a defensive coordinator in Seattle and Dallas before serving as Falcons head coach.

The teams: It’s the No. 1 pick in the draft, Caleb Williams, possibly against injured No. 2 pick Jayden Daniels. The Bears are trying to win for the fourth time in a row and are in their longest winning streak under Eberflus. for their first three-game winning streak under Eberflus. They won against the Rams, Panthers and two weeks ago in London against Jacksonville. The Bears’ defense hasn’t given up more than 21 points to 12 straight opponents, while Williams has thrown nine touchdown passes to four different receivers over the past four games, three to Cole Kmet and three to DJ Moore, two to Keenan Allen and one to Rome. Odunze.

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The Commanders are coming off a 40-7 loss to Carolina in which Daniels played just 10 plays and suffered a rib injury. His status will be announced on Sunday prior to the match. Marcus Mariota finished the game completing 18 of 23 for 205 yards with two touchdowns and running for 34 yards on 11 attempts. The Commanders had lost to Baltimore the week before, 30-23.

Statistical Leaders: Williams has completed 130 of 199 for 1,317 yards with nine touchdowns and five interceptions, for a passer rating of 88.7. D’Andre Swift leads the Bears in rushing with 325 yards on 91 attempts (3.6 yard average) and three touchdowns. DJ Moore leads the Bears in receptions with 31 and in receiving yards with 314. TJ Edwards leads the Bears in tackles with 47. Gervon Dexter leads the Bears defense in sacks with four and Jaylon Johnson has a team-high two interceptions. Tyrique Stevenson and Johnson are tied for the team lead in pass breakups with five each.

Daniels has completed 127 of 168 for an NFL-best 75.6%. He has 1,410 yards, six touchdowns and has thrown two interceptions. WR Terry McLaurin leads the Commanders with 35 receptions and also in receiving yards with 454 and TD catches with four. Brian Robinson Jr. has the team lead in rushing with 396 yards on 85 carries (4.7 ypc) and six touchdowns. LB Bobby Wagner leads in tackles with 62 and Dante Fowler is the sack leader with 4 1/2. Benjamin St-Juste leads in pass breakups.

Injury report: For the Bears, S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) are out. DE Jake Martin (toe) and RB Travis Homer (finger) have been activated from injured reserve.

For the Commanders, OL Brandon Coleman is out (concussion) and Daniels is questionable.

Matching: The Bears rank 24th in offense, 20th in passing and 24th rushing. They are 12th in the points tally. Chicago’s defense ranks fifth overall, seventh against the pass and 11th against the run. They are fourth with fewest points allowed.

The Commanders rank fourth in offense, fourteenth in passing and third in rushing. They lead the NFL in scoring with 218 points. Washington’s defense ranks 16th, 12th against the pass and 18th in stopping the run. They are 15th with fewest points allowed.

Of importance: The Bears are going for their first four-game winning streak since 2018, when they last won the NFC North title. … The teams that defeated the Bears have a combined record of 6-20. … Williams has the best won-lost record through six games for a No. 1 draft pick at QB in league history. … The Bears are plus-6 in turnover differential and the Commanders are plus-3. … Wagner has five tackles or more in 19 consecutive games. …The Commanders are 3-0 at home for the first time since 2005. If they win, they will be 4-0 at home for the first time since 1978.

Important individual matchups

Bears WR DJ Moore vs. Commanders CB Mike Sainristil

The top Commanders cornerback is a rookie from Michigan and is rated just 50th in the league by Pro Football Focus. PFF says he gives up a passer rating of 115.9 when targeted and has one interception. At 5-10, 182 pounds, he doesn’t give up much weight to Moore. Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns against the Commanders last year in a different defensive scheme. Moore was targeted the least often in a game he has played all season against Jacksonville, just five times. Moore has 28 catches for 451 yards and five touchdowns in five games against the Commanders.

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Bears CB Jaylon Johnson vs. Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

Jaylon Johnson’s passer rating remains an obscene 27.3 per Stathead/Pro Football Reference. He has allowed 10 completions in 20 targets for 11.1 yards per catch and 5.6 yards per target this year. Johnson hasn’t allowed a touchdown pass this year and has given up three in the last three seasons. It seems like a no-brainer that the Bears defense would allow Johnson to chase McLaurin all game. McLaurin has been targeted at least 120 times per year over the past four years and is averaging seven goals per game this year. His catch rate of 71.4% per target is the highest of his career. Both Johnson and McLaurin are 6-foot-1, but McLaurin has a 14-pound weight advantage at 210 pounds.

Bears DE Montez Sweat vs. Commanders T Andrew Wylie

Facing his old team, Sweat is off to a slower start this year in sacks with just 2 1/2 and pressures with nine. Last year he had 12 1/2 sacks and 40 pressures. His impact is palpable, however, as the defensive line has blossomed as the opponent doubled Sweat’s team, leaving one cover for the other players. Sweat has a 17% success rate, which is 19th among all edge rushers, according to PFF. Wylie, a former Chiefs player, knows Sweat from one season with the Commanders after coming over from Kansas City. He ranks 45th in all-time tackles in the league this year by PFF and 44th in pass blocking. He has committed five penalties and allowed no sacks, one QB hit and ten pressures.

Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds vs. Commanders TE Zach Ertz

At times, Edmunds might be on Ertz in seam route coverage or in short patterns, coming to the ball. At 6-5, 250, Ertz is almost 34 years old and no longer the speed threat on the field he once was. Edmunds would have a huge speed advantage, as would safety Elijah Hicks. But Hicks is 5-11, 200 pounds and would be a mismatch if he tries to cover Ertz. Edmunds is 6-5, 250. Jack Sanborn could also cover Ertz in base defense. Edmunds has an excellent passer rating of 59.9 against and has given up just 7.9 yards per catch against him. Ertz was in the Cardinals offense under Kliff Kingsbury in 2021 and 2022 and has the best yards per catch he has had since 2017 at 10.7. He has 25 receptions in 34 targets.

Bears DT Andrew Billings vs. Commanders G Sam Cosmi

Billings has been an effective all-around defender for the Bears, and ESPN rates his pass rush win rate as No. 5 in the league among tackles at 15%. According to PFF, his run stopping has taken a step back this year, but Billings was there to help with the big stops inside. Cosmi finished seventh in the league as a pass blocker among guards. The 6-foot-1, 309-pounder is coming off his best season in the league, according to PFF, allowing one sack and nine pressures this year.

Bears WR Keenan Allen vs. Commanders CB Noah Igbinoghene

At 5-11, 197, Igbinoghene is bigger than many cornerbacks and could match the 6-2, 211-pound Allen in those terms. Allen started to be heard as a third-down threat in the last game and plays a key role in extending Bears drives. Igbinoghene has a 101.5 passer rating, which is mediocre for a cornerback and has allowed completions on 20 of 30 targets.

Twitter: BearsOnSI

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