The Washington Commanders suffered a brutal loss on Monday Night Football. Washington fell 25-24 against Chicago thanks to a last-second field goal by none other than Jake Moody. The Commanders trailed the Bears for most of the game, but made a valiant attempt at a comeback during the fourth quarter. In fact, were it not for a few key mistakes, the Commanders could have easily won this game.
Chicago does deserve some credit for authoring such an impressive victory. They clearly had revenge on the mind after last season's matchup ended with a hail mary.
Regardless, the Commanders should have been able to take care of the Bears. Washington had home-field advantage, and also boasts one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL.
So what exactly went wrong for Washington on Monday night? And should Commanders fans be worried about the rest of the season?
Below we will explore the Commanders most to blame for Week 6's last-second loss against the Bears.
Jayden Daniels needs to work on his ball security after sloppy performance
Jayden was not careful enough with the football on Monday night.
The second-year quarterback made a handful of ugly plays that ended up being the different in a one-score game.
Daniels threw an interception early in the game that stole Washington's momentum after what had been a successful offensive drive up to that point.
The speedy quarterback fumbled the ball twice during Monday Night Football. He got lucky the first time, as the ball bounced right back to him for the recovery. Unfortunately, he would not be so lucky the second time.
Daniels took the credit for a crucial fumble on 3rd-and-1 during the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
“I just lost the ball,” Daniels said after the game per The Athletic's Nicki Jhabvala. “Completely my fault. Didn't give Bill a chance, so it's my fault.”
The Commanders were running a read option play with Daniels and Jacory Croskey-Merritt. Daniels did not handle the ball well and essentially fumbled the ball into Croskey-Merritt's chest.
This could not have come at a worst point in the game. Washington was holding onto a two-point lead and could have won the game with a conversion. Instead, they surrendered the ball back to Chicago at midfield. They would never get the ball back.
Commanders fans should not panic about Daniels, as he's already proven he's a franchise quarterback. But he clearly has a few wrinkles to iron out of his game.
Commanders passing game struggled without Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown
The Commanders are beginning to show signs of attrition on their offense.
Washington is down several important players on offense before the halfway point in the season. Austin Ekeler is already out with a torn Achilles, and the receiver room is not looking much better.
The Commanders were without both veteran Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown for Monday's game against the Bears.
McLaurin has been banged up for the past few weeks with a quad injury. He remains week-to-week with that injury. Meanwhile, Brown was kept out because of a groin injury.
There was also a chance that Deebo Samuel would miss Week 6 too with a heel injury. Deebo did end up playing but he did not make much of an impact, logging four receptions for 15 yards. He only received five targets in the passing game, one of the biggest surprises of the night.
But give Jayden Daniels credit for making the most of a bad situation. He spread the ball around to seven different receivers, even connecting on shot plays to Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane.
Still, this game showed the limitations of Washington's offense when they are missing their best playmakers.
Hopefully McLaurin and Brown can return soon and help get Washington's offense moving in the right direction again.
Washington's defense got carved up by D'Andre Swift
NFL teams that cannot stop the run are doomed to lose. And that's exactly what happened to the Commanders on Monday night.
The Commanders allowed Bears running back D'Andre Swift to repeatedly gash them all night long. Swift finished with 14 carries for 108 rushing yards, while also adding two receptions for 67 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Chicago averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a team, showing that they could move the ball at will behind their new offensive line. And Swift's 55-yard receiving touchdown was the backbreaker.
Washington's defense even had reporters calling them out after the loss.
“But they had an 8 point lead and failed to tackle Swift on a short pass; couldn’t stop the run,” Keim wrote on Monday after the game. “The D just hasn’t played anywhere near expected… The D hasn’t shown reason to think it’ll change.”
The Commanders' aging defensive front is beginning to show signs of its age. Hopefully they look better against the Cowboys and Javonte Williams in Week 7.
