3 bold predictions for the showdown between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels

We all understand that the bye week is an important part of the NFL schedule. Professional soccer is a tough game, and with injuries continuing to mount, a week off in the middle of the season is extremely important.

But when your team is hot, you want to keep the momentum going, and a Chicago Bears they were one of the hottest teams in the league. The Bears blew out their last three opponents by 51 points to improve to 4-2 on the season, and with a bye last week, they had extra time to prepare for the 5-2 Commanders.

The Bears have several injured players who needed an extra week to get back into shape, but the leadership could have made more of the bye. That’s because Jayden Daniels, the extremely talented rookie whose strong play lifted the Commanders to the top of the NFC East, suffered a rib injury that caused him to miss most of last week’s game against the Panthers.

Daniels practiced for the first time this week on Friday, and head coach Dan Quinn said afterward: “We’ll evaluate how he responds to the work we put in over the next 48 hours. But today we really gave it our all.” Daniels said it’s not up to him to decide, but he feels better each week. It looks like his decision will be made during the game, which means the Bears will have to prepare for him and support Marcus Mariota just in case.

Mariota is 2-0 in his career against Chicago, but the Bears would certainly prefer to face him over the dynamic Daniels, even if neutral NFL fans clamor for Duel of a debuting quarterback. Let’s make three bold predictions for Sunday’s game, starting with Washington’s quarterback situation.

It didn’t look good for Daniels’ availability when he missed practice earlier in the week, but the fact that he practiced on Friday tells me he’ll be on the field on Sunday. The question is: how effective will it be?

Daniels does a lot of damage on the ground. He has already accumulated 372 rushing yards this year, a number that would certainly have been higher had he not been forced to leave last week’s game after being tackled on a 46-yard pass. Whether it’s a designed run or escaping passing pressure, he’s a threat to take off and run for big yards at any time.

Commanders will do what’s best for Daniels and his health, and rightly so. The fact that their star rookie is dealing with a rib injury and not, say, a knee or calf injury that can easily be worsened, makes it more likely that he will be able to play, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury will be cautious with him, especially against the Bears’ dynamic defense , which has already delivered some big hits this year.

Daniels has shown that he is more than capable of lighting things up in the air, but once he proves to be less than a runaway threat, Matt Eberflus and the Bears will be able to focus on coverage. This means TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds can stick with Terry McLaurin, Zach Ertz and the rest of the pass-catching leaders who step into the middle of the field and spend less time spying on the defensive line to make sure Daniels doesn’t pass. off.

The Bears probably have the best young player in the secondary when healthy, but unfortunately things are a bit messed up right now. Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon missed the London game with a concussion and hamstring injury, respectively, and Tyrique Stevenson missed the last two games with a calf muscle strain.

Stevenson had a limited practice Thursday and a full practice Friday, so the Bears can expect him to reclaim his No. 2 cornerback spot. Brisker and Gordon were ruled out on Friday, however, which will again put Elijah Hicks and Josh Blackwell under the microscope, but they passed the test admirably against the Jaguars. Hicks broke up multiple passes and was one of the top-rated Bears of the week according to PFF, and Blackwell had his only interception of the day when he picked off Trevor Lawrence in the fourth quarter.

Jaylon Johnson is healthy and that’s a problem for Washington’s passing game because he’ll be able to outplay McLaurin, who is the only real weapon Daniels has to rush to. The rest of the secondary will be able to keep the rest of Washington’s mediocre receiving corps in check, and as a result, the Commanders won’t come close to a league-leading 31.1 points per game.

One receiver I really expect to have a big day is DJ Moore. The Bears WR1 faded into the background after two touchdown runs by Keenan Allen and Cole Kmet against the Jaguars, but he won’t have a better matchup the rest of the year than the one he faces on Sunday.

To say Moore burned the Commanders last year would be like saying the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 warmed the city. Moore had the best game of his six-year career in the Thursday night game in Week 5, catching eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has certainly seen the tape from last year, but he doesn’t have the staff to do much about it. The Bears have weapons all over the field, and Caleb Williams has shown in recent weeks that he is willing and able to lead everyone forward. Washington’s only chance to slow Chicago’s aerial game will be to get to Caleb quickly. If the O-line can protect him, it will be a busy day for the scoreboard operator.

Even if Washington is able to apply a lot of pressure, Moore is so good at running quick routes underneath that it might not matter. In recent weeks, Caleb has gotten better at reading and moving the ball quickly, but he’s also learned when he can stay in the pocket, buy some time, and look downfield.

Washington has had a lot of problems with talented receivers this year. Chris Godwin, Mike Evans, Malik Nabers, Ja’Marr Chase and Zay Flowers have already thrown their weight behind the Commanders and have only played seven games. Look for DJ to have about eight catches for 130 yards and a touchdown.

Not only will DJ Moore be losing control of the Commanders secondary, but the real problem for the Commanders is that Caleb Williams is playing with more and more confidence each week. From Keenan Allen to Cole Kmet to Rome Odunze, there will be open receivers all day long, and Caleb will find them.

The Commanders are giving up over 130 yards per game on the ground, so expect a strong game from D’Andre Swift as well. Honestly, there’s no reason why Chicago’s offense, which has looked phenomenal lately, should have any trouble moving the ball against Washington.

Every time the Commanders faced good quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson), their defense was torn to shreds. When they faced weak quarterbacks (Daniel Jones, Deshaun Watson, Andy Dalton), they looked OK. Don’t let these performances fool you, as Caleb Williams continues to prove with each passing week that he is well on his way to superstardom.

These are the two offenses that are glaring at the moment, but Jayden Daniels won’t be 100%. The Bears have some injuries on defense, but their skillful replenishment has shown they can get the job done. Injured or not, Chicago’s defense is leagues better than Washington’s.

The only concern for Bears fans is the location of the game. The Bears are 0-2 on the road, with close losses to the Texans and Colts in weeks two and three. The Commanders are undefeated at home, with wins over the Giants, Browns and Panthers (though not exactly a blowout). If the Bears lose, it will be because they didn’t know how to win in a hostile environment, but their last neutral-field game in London showed they are capable of playing great football away from Soldier Field.

I don’t think there is another team in the NFL that can be said to be doing better week to week, but the Bears are. With an extra week to prepare and Jayden Daniels operating at less than maximum capacity, the Bears would make a major statement with a 35-20 win.