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The Washington Commanders ended their fourth game of the 2023 season with a 34-31 loss in overtime to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington combined for 290 receiving yards and 107 rushing yards during the road loss to Philadelphia. Running back Brian Robinson Jr., a former third-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, led the Commanders in rushing yards with 45 while adding one rushing touchdown. Eagles receiver A.J. Brown took first place on Philadelphia's roster with 175 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.
Washington will move on to face the Chicago Bears at 8:15 p.m. EDT in FedExField on Thursday. Chicago quarterback Justin Fields ended a 31-28 loss to the Denver Broncos with 335 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and one interception. Three Bears earned at least one receiving touchdown. Chicago running back Khalil Herbert finished with 103 rushing yards on 18 carries.
“Especially after a loss, the first thing that everyone wants to do is they want to get back on the field and kind of get this feeling out of their body,” Commanders quarterback Sam Howell said on Tuesday, via Commanders.com. “I think everyone wants to go out there and try to get back on track and so we're excited.
“We have a short week so we can't really think about the Philly game too much just because we have so much preparation to do in a short amount of time to get ready for Thursday night. I think it's good for us that we have this Thursday night game this week. Hopefully we can go out there and put our best foot forward and have a chance to win.”
What are some bold predictions for the Commanders when they take on the Bears on Thursday?
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3. Sam Howell will throw for at least 270 yards, two touchdowns
Howell ended Washington's loss to the Eagles with 290 passing yards and one touchdown while completing 71% of his 41 pass attempts. He added 40 rushing yards on six carries. The former North Carolina quarterback received high praise from Commanders head coach Ron Rivera when he addressed the media on Monday.
“I was expecting Sam to play well,” Rivera said, via Commanders Senior Writer Zach Selby. “He's a very resilient, very tough-minded young man.
“He bounces back very well at a lot of things. With him, you're going to have some really good positive…moments, there's going to be some tough moments, there really are, but there's going to be some really good moments as well. So yesterday was a sampling of a pretty good moment.”
Howell has recorded a total of 961 passing yards and four passing touchdowns over the four games he has played this season. The Bears are in 29th place in the NFL with just over 1,070 passing yards allowed in 2023, putting them behind the Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers, according to NFL.com. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns and 223 yards during Denver's win over Chicago at Soldier Field.
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2. Terry McLaurin will earn at least 90 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown
McLaurin led the Commanders with 86 receiving yards on eight receptions in their loss to the Eagles. The one-time Pro-Bowler has earned 212 receiving yards and one touchdown during the 2023 season, including the 54 yards and one score he notched against the Broncos in Week 2.
McLaurin will be vital to a potential win over the Bears on Thursday. He led all Commanders receivers with 41 yards during Washington's 12-7 win over Chicago in 2022. 10 Broncos recorded at least one reception in their win over the Bears in Week 4. Running back Jaleel McLaughlin and receiver Courtland Sutton both hauled in three receptions and one receiving touchdown.
1. The Commanders will defeat the Bears by a one-touchdown margin
Both teams will have plenty on the line when they take to FedExField on Thursday.
The Commanders must find a way to bounce back from losses to the Eagles and Buffalo Bills in Weeks 3 and 4. Chicago will look for its first win of the season after falling to the Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Green Bay Packers.
“There's no easy games in the NFL and they have a lot of really good players on their defense and they fly around,” Howell said, via Commanders.com. “They play hard and you can tell they want to win and it's definitely a challenge for us and we definitely have our hands full.
“They do a lot of good stuff schematically on defense as well. It's definitely a tough defense. Every defense in the NFL is tough to play against, so you definitely got to be ready to go and you got to prepare. We're excited for the challenge.”
The Commanders must tap into the potential of their defensive line while boosting their running game to claim victory over Chicago. Washington is slated at 17th place in the league with 426 rushing yards this season, according to NFL.com. If it can, it will have a solid chance of winning at home before facing the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 15.
