The situation was critical. Only 1:14 remained on the clock. The Chicago Bears had just allowed a sack on Caleb Williams to make it 2nd and 12 from Washington’s 33-yard line. They were right at the edge of field goal range for kicker Jake Moody. Failure to get any more yards would set up a risky kick. They had to get closer. Head coach Ben Johnson decided to gamble. Rather than put the ball in Caleb Williams’ hands, he chose to run a toss play to D’Andre Swift. It was here that an unlikely hero emerged: Darnell Wright.

Toss plays are risky in today’s NFL due to the speed of defenses. The offensive tackle must be able to get out into space and get a seal on the running lane. Wright went above and beyond his assignment on this play. He gets out on the edge and first gives old nemesis Preston Smith a violent shove. This throws off the defensive end’s pursuit angle. Then, for good measure, the right tackle picks off cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, driving him out of the running lane and allowing D’Andre Swift to pick up 15 yards.

It was a masterclass in athleticism, awareness, and intelligence. Keep in mind, Wright did all of it in a span of six seconds.

Darnell Wright reminded everybody why he’s a star.

Even before that night in Washington, it had become evident that the big right tackle had become a really good player for the Bears. This game was the best performance of his career. No penalties. Dominated in the running game, was immovable in pass protection, and delivered the most critical block of the night. It’s not every day you get to point these things out. Ben Johnson said he wanted to put the game in the hands of the offensive line. Darnell Wright took that to heart. To become a good team, you need your 1st round picks to excel. He was the first of Ryan Poles’ tenure, and that selection is proving to be a strong one, despite all the Jalen Carter lovers out there.

The Bears won a game they usually don’t on Monday night — and it was a fun one. Here are my biggest takeaways from the win over Washington:

Darnell Wright deserves more credit

Running toward Darnell Wright is pure magic. He was phenomenal last night, and it’s incredible how much he’s developed since the Bears drafted him. He’s turning into one of the better right tackles in football. But really shoutout to the entire offensive line. They were really good on Monday Night.

We might owe D’Andre Swift an apology

Heading into the season, I thought Swift might be an underrated back. He’s been inconsistent so far, but that may have more to do with the offensive line than anything else. The switch at left tackle seems to have helped — Theo Benedet was great, and Wright continues to be a menace in the run game. Swift balled out last night and deserves a ton of credit.

The commentary was awful

Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were brutal. It felt like every comment about Chicago was negative while Washington could do no wrong. Honestly, one of the worst broadcasts I’ve watched in a long time.

The officiating was even worse

The refs were a disaster. It genuinely felt like they were trying to beat the Bears — and somehow Chicago still pulled it out. I’m not usually one to blame officials, but that was one of the most lopsided and poorly called games I’ve seen.

The Bears defense is confusing

This defense is either forcing a takeaway or giving up a touchdown — there’s no in-between. They’re elite at creating turnovers, but they still have some glaring lapses. That said, Dennis Allen did a great job disguising pressure last night, and the unit held up well overall. I’d love to see what they look like with Jaylon Johnson back — and maybe an extra pass rusher added at the deadline.

Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson delivered when it mattered most

These last two wins haven’t been pretty, but they’ve been gritty. Williams and Johnson are finding ways to win, and that’s what good teams do. The momentum is building, and the upcoming schedule has plenty of winnable games.

DJ Moore is tough as nails

On the final drive, Moore was blocking his heart out — then after the game, he went to the hospital and stayed overnight for precautionary reasons. The Bears haven’t disclosed details, but there’s no questioning his toughness. He deserves a ton of respect.

Good to see Colston Loveland and Luther Burden getting involved

Loveland made that huge third-down catch on the final drive, and Burden led the team in receiving yards. It’s great to see these rookies becoming bigger parts of the offense.

Rome Odunze was robbed

Rome should’ve had another touchdown — he got absolutely robbed. Still, the Caleb Williams–Rome Odunze connection looks like one of the best young duos in the league right now.

The Bears have a kicker dilemma

If Cairo Santos ends up on injured reserve, Jake Moody could get an extended audition in Chicago. His leg strength is undeniable, but moving on from a veteran leader and team captain like Santos wouldn’t be easy.

The Bears are dangerous

Winning ugly is something good football teams do. The Bears are learning how to do that — and if they keep building on these experiences, they might be on the verge of something special.

Part of being a great head coach is knowing what to say to your players and when to say it. Ben Johnson passed the first test two weeks ago. The Chicago Bears trailed the Las Vegas Raiders 24-19 with five minutes left. They needed a touchdown. A field goal wouldn’t help. Before the drive began, Johnson took quarterback Caleb Williams aside and told him these were the moments he’s built for. Go win the game. Williams went out and executed a near-flawless 11-play march to the end zone.

Fast forward to the 4th quarter on Monday night in Washington. The scenario was almost identical. Chicago had the ball trailing 24-22 with just minutes remaining. They had around 40 yards to go to reach field goal range. Again, Johnson pulled Williams aside. However, this time his words were different. He revealed after the game that he had instructed the quarterback to tell the offensive line that he planned to lean on them this time, meaning the Bears would be running the ball.

Of the eight plays on the drive, six were indeed runs. Two of them featured two of the best-blocked plays of the entire season. One led to a crucial 1st down. The other got them well within Jake Moody’s field goal range.

Ben Johnson continues to show a great sense of the moment.

It would’ve been easy for him to repeat what he’d done in Las Vegas. Let Williams throw the Bears to victory. However, the game situation didn’t support that idea. The quarterback hadn’t been overly sharp all night, partly due to the weather conditions. However, the guiding factor was having watched how well the offensive line had blocked in the run game all night. Washington hadn’t stopped D’Andre Swift the entire game. Why get cute? Ben Johnson decided to let his offensive line know they were the reason the team was in a position to win.

Finish what you started.

They did exactly that. Washington had every opportunity to slam the door shut, but the Bears overpowered them. It was the kind of physical statement this team hasn’t made in years. All of it was set up by the head coach. If you weren’t sure if Johnson had his finger on the pulse of this team, there are no more doubts now.

The Chicago Bears had all sorts of pressure on them going into the game. They were on the road in primetime again, returning to the scene of their worst nightmare made manifest. It should’ve been another big win. Instead, a coaching blunder enabled the Washington Commanders to author the wildest ending to a game in recent memory with the Hail Mary. It was a devastating night for Caleb Williams, who hadn’t played well but still did enough to get the lead. The rematch would determine whether he’d finally earn some respect or if he’d be trapped in Jayden Daniels’ shadow.

It was an ugly game. Daniels threw three touchdowns, but he also had two costly turnovers. Williams was erratic at times, but avoided turning it over, adding two touchdowns. Then, once again with the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter, he engineered the game-winning drive. This time, it was D’Andre Swift doing most of the work, but Williams had a crucial pass on 3rd down that moved the chains. Three minutes later, Jake Moody connected on a 38-yard field goal to give the Bears a stunning 25-24 victory.

Walking off the field, Williams delivered the signature meme of the night, channeling the G.O.A.T. himself.

Caleb Williams has certain qualities Michael Jordan did.

The unbridled passion for the game he plays is one. Being able to summon his best in clutch moments is another. Jordan always seemed to elevate his play in big games. Caleb Williams did so again. Against a good team on the road in primetime, he played mistake-free football and led his team down the field on another gotta-have-it drive. Washington didn’t hand it to him. He took it. That shrug was a reminder to everybody that counting the Bears out after two games might’ve been premature. Now they’re 3-2, with the easiest part of their schedule ahead. Williams is building something Chicago hasn’t seen in decades. Other QBs from his draft class might be getting the headlines. He’s winning hearts where it matters most.

Nobody fully grasped what was happening until the final second of the game. Everybody knew the story. The Chicago Bears were haunted by what happened in that stadium last year. It was eerie how similar the setup was. They went into Washington out of the bye week, took the lead late in the 4th quarter only for the Commanders to stun the football world with a Hail Mary touchdown. It catapulted them to the NFC championship and sent the Bears into a death spiral that saw them lose every game until the season finale in Green Bay.

Yet here they were, trailing 24-22 with a 38-yard field goal coming up. If it went in, they’d exorcize all of those demons. Incredibly, the story went even deeper. It centered on the man making the kick. Jake Moody was considered a major league bust after the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the 3rd round two years ago. He’d struggled a lot last season and missed two of his first three kicks this year. That ultimately got him cut.

Still, the Bears felt he had enough talent to explore. Almost on cue, an injury to Cairo Santos thrust him into the lineup. Everybody feared another case of mental crumbling. Instead, Moody came up huge, hitting on four field goals, including the pivotal one as time expired.

The Chicago Bears never stopped believing.

It took a lot of guts to sign Moody when they did. He was considered radioactive at the time, and the Chicago Bears were lambasted for the move. They shrugged it off, believing the young kicker might benefit from a change of scenery. The coaches didn’t flinch, putting him into the lineup rather than letting Santos kick. Remember, he was questionable for the game. He might’ve been able to go if necessary. Coach Johnson made him inactive and put Moody into the lineup. Such uncompromising trust was rewarded.

To see a game like this unfold is so rare for the Bears. Usually, it’s other teams getting revenge or redemption at their expense. This time, it was their turn. Moody deserves all the credit in the world for stepping up huge when called upon.

The Chicago Bears of yesteryear would be 1-4 right now. If you’d seen how the previous two games unfolded, there is no way the Matt Eberflus teams would’ve pulled out victories late in the 4th quarter. Never was it clearer that things have changed under Ben Johnson. The new head coach stated from the beginning that his goal was to instill mental toughness in his team. You can’t expect to win in the NFL if you can’t handle the highs and lows of playing this sport. That was a constant issue last year.

Monday night in Washington showed that things have undeniably changed.

It unfolded in familiar fashion. Chicago took a 13-7 lead into the halftime locker room. Then Washington mounted a furious surge in the 3rd quarter, going ahead 17-16. It felt like they delivered the knockouts with another touchdown to make it 24-16. The Bears didn’t blink. Three plays later, Caleb Williams found D’Andre Swift, who went 55 yards for a touchdown to make it 24-22.

After the teams traded punts, it looked like Washington was going to increase their lead until a flubbed handoff saw Nahshon Wright recover a fumble to give the Bears a shot. Swift carried the load the rest of the way, setting up Jake Moody for an incredible game-winning 38-yard field goal as time expired.

Ben Johnson has changed the culture.

Normally, you couldn’t say that after just five games, but the evidence is overwhelming. The Bears started their season a brutal 4th quarter collapse and then a 52-21 implosion in Detroit. They never would’ve recovered from that in previous years. Ben Johnson refused to let them quit. They beat up on Dallas the next week and delivered a wild rally in Las Vegas to escape into the bye.

Now, they had to return to the scene of their greatest nightmare, facing a Washington team that had crushed their spirits in the Hail Mary game last season. The Commanders did their part with the second half counterblows. This time, though, the Bears didn’t blink. They took the shot and then fired right back. Once again, Johnson trusted Williams to lead the way. This time, the quarterback was willing to lean on the hot hand, which was Swift.

People can criticize Johnson’s decisions from that game, but nobody can argue the influence. This team plays much harder and tougher than at any point in the past several years.

LANDOVER, Md. — Usually, a return trip to your hometown can be fun, refreshing, and invigorating. And I’m sure Caleb Williams had this trip to Washington D.C. circled on his calendar for a while. He could go see some friends and family, and maybe even get some home cooking.

And oh yeah… Get revenge.

Yes, the Chicago Bears returned to last year’s scene of the crime – almost one calendar year removed from the game that dismantled their 2024 campaign. The storylines were quite easy this week… as was the media’s happiness to air reruns of the infamous Hail Mary that torpedoed the Bears’ season. We already know: Caleb Williams last-minute heroic TD drive. Matt Eberflus not guarding the sidelines. Tyrique Stevenson taunting the crowd. And then the tip to Noah Brown.

Confusion. Pandemonium. Disaster.

Ben Johnson wasn’t part of it last year, and he’s made sure to emphasize that. The Bears came out of their bye week to take on the Washington Commanders tonight — on the heels of a sloppy but heroic win in Las Vegas. Through the four games, the Bears were 2-2 and looked very much like a team figuring it out. Promise but inconsistency on offense. Discombobulation but capitalization on defense.

What would the Bears solve coming out of their bye week in an attempt to flip the narrative on Jayden Daniels and the Commanders?

The answer: The Bears rode a tremendous running game, explosive plays, timely turnovers, and the LEG OF JAKE MOODY en route to Ben Johnson’s signature win. Tremendous.

I shared my in-game reactions, thoughts and observations from the game below. Follow me on X @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Thoughts and Observations

1. (PREGAME) — The Bears’ rushing defense has been an abomination so far in 2025. Guess who has one of the best rushing attacks in the league? Washington. I think the returns of Kyler Gordon and T.J. Edwards can certainly help, but the Bears have been bullied at the point of attack far too often for them to be an effective band-aid. This unit needs more (and better) investment. I’m concerned that Washington will be able to control the ball and the game by easily gaining six yards on each play. What good is the Bears’ top-ranked third down defense if they can’t get to third down?

2. Oh man, what a start in this one. The Bears took the ball first and methodically got down to the Commanders’ 30ish yard line — relying on a suddenly feisty running game! The drive did stall, and Jake Moody nailed his first field goal attempt from 47 yards in a Bears uniform to put Chicago up 3-0.

On defense, the Bears got the Commanders into a couple of third downs, but allowed them into the red zone, riding a soft but correct “roughing” call on Montez Sweat that should’ve set up a 3rd and 8. But Jaquan Brisker baited Jayden Daniels into a dig route to the end zone and undercut it near the goal line to turn Washington away. The takeaway Bears are still alive and well.

3. Bears did get another field goal on their second drive, but man, Caleb’s accuracy is just a tad off. He underthrew a deep ball to Rome Odunze (who was wide open and behind the defense). He had another miscommunication with Olamide Zacchaeus. But my biggest issue was not hitting D.J. Moore completely in stride on a crosser — they connected on a first down, but Moore had to go to the ground. Could’ve been a bigger gain in stride. Still, Bears up 6-0.

4. Really love what I’m seeing from the Bears’ running game today. It’s varied, they’ve moved to indexing on the wide zone scheme a bit, and the blocking has been excellent. They’re using all three backs. And they’re hitting the right holes. If this is going to be the new direction for this run game, that’s a major win. First half has been pretty excellent on this front.

5. I’m usually of the belief that bad referee calls even out over the course of the season. But in the minutiae of this game, that phantom facemask on Nahshon Wright turned a punt into a touchdown. That’s an unbelievable swing of circumstance and momentum. 13-7 Bears.

On the ensuing possession, the Bears rode a strong running game (again) into Commanders territory. I liked the decision to go for it on 4th and 1, but the decision to go play-action pass (while understandable) seemed a little unnecessary. The run game has been fantastic tonight and they passed up the chance to keep pounding it. Caleb didn’t see Frankie Luvu as the hook defender and is lucky his pass wasn’t picked. But a turnover on downs nonetheless…

6. Ugh, wasted opportunity before halftime. The Commanders set the Bears up in good position after their field goal attempt clanged off the left upright (great job by Dennis Allen, btw). But the Bears couldn’t even get a first down. Caleb and Moore couldn’t connect on a back-shoulder throw on first down, and on third down, Caleb opted not to throw to his hot read on an all-out blitz and instead took a hard hit sack near the sideline. He really hasn’t played well in the first half, all things considered. He needs to be much better for the Bears to pull this one out.

Bears are up 13-7 at the half, but the way the officiating and the suboptimal opportunity-grabbing has gone, the Bears feel like they’re in a precarious spot. Washington’s ball after halftime.

<HALFTIME>

7. An “illegal formation” call wipes out a gorgeous TD grab by Rome Odunze as the Bears tried to answer the Commanders’ half-opening field goal. The call was on Theo Benedet — and here’s the catch — he was totally in a legal formation. The Bears settled for three points in another situation where they were robbed for four others.

And then a missed pick-play by the officials on Washington’s ensuing drive led to a fourth-down conversion en route to a touchdown to take the lead. I said this earlier, but this is just blatant at this stage. Truly blatant.

Like, even Troy Aikman defended the Bears on the broadcast! Do you know how major that is?

The Bears are playing fairly well tonight overall, but they are not good enough to beat the Commanders AND the refs.

8. As much as the refs are screwing them, the Bears will lament their missed opportunities. Williams threw an unnecessary heater to OZ when he also had room to run to pick up yards. And on third down just before the end of the quarter, they bobbled the snap which resulted in a sack. And then Jake Moody’s FG attempt to open the fourth quarter was blocked…..

….Which the Commanders took and walked down the field for a touchdown. Very little resistance. 24-16.

Just from rough to worse. They can compete with a team like the Commanders. But they’re just not good enough yet.

9. Maybe I was hasty, maybe I wasn’t. But D’Andre Swift took a 3rd and 4 flat route, made a guy miss, and motored 55 yards to the house. A beautiful individual effort from a guy who heard the noise all week and came to play today. Williams missed Monangai in the flat on the 2 point attempt to keep it 24-22 Washington, but that’s an “against the run of play” touchdown to get the Bears back in it.

And after a garbage roughing call on Jaquan Brisker where he was pushed into Daniels, the Bears still held for a punt to get the ball back. They’re fighting.

10. This is shaping up to be a silly finish. A “who is this penalty really on?” wiped out a first down catch from Cole Kmet to put the Bears backed up. And a bad, bad drop from OZ (nothing but green grass in front) ruined their chances to flip the game there.

On the Commanders’ possession, a crucial 3rd and 1 handoff between Daniels and a RB was simply lost in the misty rain, and Wright fell on it for a critical recovery. Unreal sequence, giving the Bears a chance to go for the win. Just a ridiculous football game.

11. This is before any outcome of this final drive…. D’Andre Swift has been SENSATIONAL tonight. And huge kudos to the OL. Just a beautiful all-round game. They’ve really figured things out.

12. The Bears played for the field goal on a rainy and windy night… and Jake Moody DRILLED IT! What a sensational win for the Bears. Truly sensational. I’d given up – and Swift changed everything in the blink of an eye. Amazing.

13. This is a signature win for Ben Johnson. Overcoming one of the worst-officiated games I’ve ever seen and making key plays in key moments. Brilliantly called game on offense. Just a beautiful outcome.

14. The Bears finally head home to Soldier Field on Sunday to take on a feisty New Orleans Saints team. Spencer Rattler and that offense have been impressive. It’s a revenge game for Dennis Allen. Should be a fun one. I think the Bears are finding themselves, despite what the refs would have you believe. I think they get back on track.

Early prediction: Bears 27, Saints 23.