The Chicago Bears would like to send a message to the Washington Commanders when the teams meet on Monday Night in the nation's capital. The game would be big enough on its own because the Commanders have a chance to move into first place in the NFC East since the Philadelphia Eagles have lost two in a row.
But there's quite a bit more to the Bears-Commanders matchup. The two teams met in Washington last year and the Bears had the edge in that game — until the final play. That's when the Commanders scored on a last-second Hail Mary and stole victory from the jaws of defeat. The 2025 version of the game should see an inspired Chicago team, but the Bears have the 31st-ranked run defense in the league while the Commanders have the top-ranked running attack.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt is the Commanders' leading rusher through the first five games, having gained 283 yards while averaging an impressive 6.6 yards per attempt. Croskey-Merritt has also scored 4 rushing touchdowns.
However, it's quarterback Jayden Daniels that gets the attention of Bears head coach Ben Johnson and star linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Johnson knows that Daniles is capable of changing the momentum of any game with his ability to run the football.
Bears have struggled badly against the run, and that could help Daniels show off his running skills
The Bears are giving up 164.5 rushing yards per game and that should get the attention of Daniels and Washington head coach Dan Quinn. The Commanders have the most productive running attack in the league, averaging 156.5 yards per outing.
“[Daniels] strikes a lot of fear into opposing coaches, because you look at him and you know you got to account for him, not just as an accurate passer, not just as a scrambler, but the quarterback-driven run game that they do a lot of,” Johnson said. “And [he’s] so fast, slippery. It’s going to take all 11 guys playing disciplined football to make sure we contain their attack.”
The Bears may want revenge after losing in heartbreaking fashion a year ago, but slowing down the Washington ground game will take a major upgrade by the Bears run defense.
