Week 8 Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders gameday preview

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

Where: Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland.

Start: 15:25

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)

Line: Bearish by 2 1/2, over/under 43 1/2

Bears on SI Pick: Bears 26, Commanders 20

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

Trainers: Bears coach Matt Eberflus is in his third season and is 14-26, including 1-1 against the Commanders. Eberflus teams have a record of 3-16 on the road and 1-1 after bye weeks.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn is 51-46 after six NFL seasons and this is his first season as Commanders coach. He led the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LI and was their coach from 2015-20. Quinn and Jim Caldwell were Eberflus finalists for the Bears’ 2022 job when Eberflus was hired. Quinn was the defensive coordinator in Seattle and Dallas, as well as the head coach of the Falcons.

Teams: It’s the No. 1 pick in the draft, Caleb Williams, likely against the injured No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels. The Bears are trying to win for the fourth time in a row and have the longest winning streak under Eberflus. for the first time in a row after three victories under Eberflus. They won against the Rams, Panthers, and two weeks ago in London against Jacksonville. The Bears defense has given up no more than 21 points to 12 straight opponents, while Williams has thrown nine touchdown passes to four different receivers in the last four games, three to Cole Kmet and three to DJ Moore, two to Keenan Allen and one to Rome Odunze.

WHY CALEB WILLIAMS CAN RATE HOMECOMING FANTASY PLAY

CHICAGO BEARS AND WASHINGTON COMMANDS: WHO WINS AND WHY

MONTEZ SWEAT ALMOST TREATED LEADERS LIKE ANOTHER TEAMS

THREE KEYS TO DEFEATING THE COMMANDS AND REGAINING MOMENTUM AFTER SAYING GOODBYE TO THE BEARS

The Commanders defeated Carolina 40-7, during which Daniels only played 10 games and suffered rib injuries. His status will be announced on Sunday before the match. Marcus Mariota finished the game going 18 of 23 for 205 yards, scoring two touchdowns and rushing for 34 yards on 11 attempts. The Commanders lost to Baltimore 30-23 last week.

Statistics Leaders: Williams went 130 of 199 for 1,317 yards with nine TDs and five interceptions, giving him 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 TDs. DJ Moore leads the Bears in receptions with 31 and tackles with 314. TJ Edwards leads the Bears in tackles with 47. Gervon Dexter leads the Bears defense with four and Jaylon Johnson has two interceptions. Tyrique Stevenson and Johnson lead the team in pass breakups with five each.

Daniels went 127 of 168, an NFL-best 75.6%. He has 1,410 yards, six TDs and two interceptions. WR Terry McLaurin leads the Commanders with 35 receptions, as well as in receiving yards with 454 and TD catches with four. Brian Robinson Jr. leads the team in rushing with 396 yards on 85 carries (4.7 yrs) and six TDs. LB Bobby Wagner leads in tackles with 62 and Dante Fowler leads in sacks with 4 1/2. Benjamin St-Juste leads in pass breaks.

Injury report: The Bears will miss S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring). DE Jake Martin (finger) and RB Travis Homer (finger) were activated from injured reserve.

On the leadership side, OL Brandon Coleman is out (concussion) and Daniels is questionable.

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

The Commanders rank fourth in offense, 14th 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 against the run. They are 15th in terms of fewest points allowed.

Note: The Bears are starting their first four-game winning streak since 2018, when they last won the NFC North title. … Teams defeated by the Bears have a combined record of 6-20. … Williams has the best win-loss record through six games for the No. 1 QB pick in league history. … The Bears have a turnover differential of plus-6 and the Commanders have a plus-3 turnover differential. …Wagner has five or more tackles in 19 straight 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.

Key individual fights

Bears WR DJ Moore vs. Commanders CB Mike Sainristil

The Commanders’ best defender is a rookie from Michigan, who was ranked only 50th in the league according to Pro Football Focus. PFF says he gives up a passer rating of 115.9 when targeted and has one interception. At 5-10 and 182 pounds, he’s not far behind Moore. Last year, Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three TDs against the Commanders in a different defensive scheme. Moore has been targeted the fewest times he’s played all season against Jacksonville – just five times. Moore had 28 catches for 451 yards and five TDs in five games against the Commanders.

.

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson vs. Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

According to Stathead/Pro Football Reference, Jaylon Johnson’s passer rating is 27.3. This year, he has allowed 10 completions on 20 targets, good for 11.1 yards per catch and 5.6 yards per target. Johnson hasn’t allowed a touchdown pass this year and has thrown three passes over the last three seasons. It seems obvious that the Bears defense will have Johnson chasing McLaurin throughout the game. McLaurin has been targeted at least 120 times per year in each of the last four years, and this year he is averaging seven targets per game. His success rate of 71.4% on target is the highest of his career. Both Johnson and McLaurin are 6-foot-10, but the 210-pound McLaurin has a 14-pound advantage.

Bears DE Montez Sweat vs. Commander T Andrew Wylie

Sweat faces his old team and is off to a slower start this year with just 2 1/2 goals and nine under pressure. Last year he had 12 1/2 sacks and 40 pressures. However, his impact became felt as the defense flourished as opponents combined with Sweat, leaving other players to provide single coverage. According to PFF, Sweat has a 17% pass win rate, good for 19th among all edge rushers. Wylie, a former Chiefs player, knows Sweat from his one season with the Commanders after arriving from Kansas City. He ranks 45th among all receivers in the league this year and 44th in pass blocking, according to PFF. He committed five penalties, allowed no sacks, one QB hit and 10 pressures.

Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds vs. Commanders TE Zach Ertz

At times, Edmunds can be on top of Ertz in a continuous route, or in short bursts as he begins to pick up the ball. At 6-5, 250, Ertz is almost 34 years old and no longer the downfield threat he once was. Edmunds would have a huge speed advantage, as would safety Elijah Hicks. But Hicks is 5-11, 200 pounds and wouldn’t fit with size trying to cover Ertz. Edmunds is 6-5, 250. Jack Sanborn can also cover Ertz in base defense. Edmunds has an excellent passer rating of 59.9 and gives up just 7.9 yards per catch. Ertz starred in the Cardinals’ offense under Kliff Kingsbury in 2021 and 2022 and has his best per-catch percentage since 2017 at 10.7. He has 25 receptions on 34 targets.

Bears DT Andrew Billings vs. Commander G Sam Cosmi

Billings has been an effective all-around defender for the Bears, and ESPN rates his pass rush win rate as 5th in the league in tackles at 15%. According to PFF, his run stops have taken a step back this year, but Billings has been there to help with the big stops inside. Cosmi finished seventh in the league as a pass blocker among defensemen. According to PFF, the 6-foot-1, 309-pounder is having his best season in the league and has one sack and nine pressures this year.

Bears WR Keenan Allen vs. CB Noah Igbinoghene

The 5-11, 197 Igbinoghene is bigger than many slot defenders and could match the 6-2, 211-pound Allen in that regard. In the last game, Allen started to be talked about as a third-down threat and a key player in extending the Bears’ winning streak. Igbinoghene has a passer rating of 101.5, which is good for a cornerback, and has allowed 20 of 30 targets.

Twitter: BearsOnSI