Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer Oct. 6, 2023, 1:26 p.m
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- Courtney Cronin joined ESPN in 2017 and originally covered the Minnesota Vikings before moving to the Chicago Bears in 2022. Courtney is a frequent panelist on Around the Horn and host of Best Week Ever on ESPN Radio. She also co-hosts the Chicago Bears Podcast on ESPN 1000. She previously worked as a multimedia sportswriter at the San Jose Mercury News.
LANDOVER, Md. – Four days after blowing a three-touchdown lead to mark their 14th straight loss, the Chicago Bears ended the franchise’s longest losing streak with a 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Thursday -Story.
Almost a full year – 346 days to be exact – had passed since Chicago’s last win. How badly did the Bears need this win after an 0-4 start amid off-the-field drama and poor on-field performances?
“Really bad, I’m not going to lie,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “I think the emotion that I literally felt until… the clock hit zero was relief. It’s been a long time coming for us to get this first win. We have a lot of talent; we just have to get it together. “These kinds of performances can carry over, but we have to be able to execute them and be in sync as a group.”
Only a handful of players remain from the last Bears team that scored 40 points in a 41-17 win over Jacksonville in Week 16 of the 2020 season. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney, a rookie that season, had little memory of the outcome considering how many losses the Bears piled up from that point on.
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What seemed familiar was the trough the Bears offense was in after a blistering start. Chicago scored a touchdown or field goal on every drive in the first half, sparked by two TD receptions from DJ Moore, and built a 24-point lead by the end of the second quarter. Quarterback Justin Fields became the first Bears player since the 1970 merger to score three touchdowns in the first half of consecutive games.
A third quarter with two drives for Chicago, both of which ended in punts while Washington scored a touchdown and a field goal, was the motivation the Bears used to avoid further disappointment.
“We won’t let something like this happen again,” Mooney said. “We felt how strong another team was against us and we don’t want to feel that again.”
Moore’s great night prevented further disappointment and helped the Bears to a road win. The 25-year-old receiver caught eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns, the second-most receiving yards in a game in Bears history.
His touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed the game for Chicago. Moore ran a curl route that Washington cornerback Kendall Fuller unsuccessfully jumped over and took a short reception 56 yards down the visitors’ sideline to the end zone.
As Fields watched his No. 1 wideout extend his yards after catch to 141 — the most by any Bears player since ESPN began tracking YAC in 2006 — the quarterback graded that game-ending moment, as a “sigh of relief”. “
“I think we just needed to restart,” Fields said. “Of course everyone is jumping around a bit on the drive where we had a false start. But I just went to the guys and just said, ‘Calm down. We’re in a great position. The defense is going to go out and do their thing.” They did. They got a stop, and when DJ made that catch-and-run, the game was pretty much over at that point. A great play, great catch, great protection up front and well executed. “
Moore was a key part of the trade package Chicago received from the Carolina Panthers in March in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick. In five games with the Bears, Moore has:
• 531 receiving yards and five touchdowns, which is already more than any Bears wide receiver has accumulated in the 2022 season.
• Accounted for 47% of the Bears’ receiving yards this season, the most of any player in the NFL.
• Every close reception for the Bears, according to Next Gen Stats. Fields is 8 of 11 for 137 yards and three touchdowns for Moore on throws from tight windows and 0 of 8 for all other Bears on those plays.
It’s been a while since Chicago has had so much offense generated by a single player. Moore became the first Bears player with 200 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage in the game since Hall of Fame running back Walter Payton in 1979, a feat the receiver did not expect.
“No, I was nervous this morning,” Moore said. “I’m incredibly nervous, so I think it was my body telling me we were about to get started. I’m looking forward to more nervous days before the games.”
The Bears averaged 7.0 yards per game on a night where Fields threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns, coupled with another strong performance from Chicago’s running game (178 yards).
Days after they began to showcase their strengths as a team, it’s clear to some what the Bears believe their offensive identity is.
“Give the ball to DJ, man,” Mooney said. “Take the ball to the DJ. Really, get the ball to the DJ, and like I said, give us the opportunity to make that catch, not make that catch, whatever. Put the burden on our shoulders and just give us the opportunity to make this game happen.