Quarterback Justin Fields turned the ball over on one trip to the red zone. And the next time inside the Commanders’ 20-yard line, the Bears turned the ball over on downs.
Two teams that had a combined three wins entering a Thursday night contest that is traditionally ugly are living up to their dreaded billing. With the Bears unable to score, the Commanders have a 3-0 lead at halftime on a 38-yard Joey Slye field goal with 46 seconds left in the second quarter.
Coming off his best game of the season against the Vikings, Fields reverted to some of the same frustrating plays that dogged him through the first month of the season. He went 7-for-14 for 89 yards, three sacks and a 40.5 passer rating in the first half. He’s run six times for 32 yards and been hit often enough to make fans nervous; he was slow to get up on the second-to-last play of the half, when he was hit as he threw.
Fields squandered two easy opportunities.
With about three minutes left in the first quarter, the Bears had first-and-goal at the Commanders’ 6. After David Montgomery ran for one yard, Fields dropped back to pass and sidearmed a pass toward tight end Cole Kmet, who had lined up left and ran a slant route into the end zone. The ball hit the helmet of the Commanders’ Efe Obada, rocketed into the air and was caught by fellow defensive lineman Jonathan Allen for an interception.
The Bears we back in the red zone quickly, thanks to running back Khalil Herbert, who took a handoff on the first play of the next drive and zig-zagged up the field for a thrilling 64-yard run.
A flag on the Commanders for having too many men on the field moved the Bears from the 6 to the 3. After Herbert was stuffed for no gain, Fields faked two handoffs on second-and-goal — first to Herbert and then to receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who ran an end around from right to left. That allowed backup tight end Ryan Griffin to slip away, unguarded. Fields saw him open and running into the end zone, wound up and threw it over his head. Griffin dove toward the NFC logo in the south end zone, but the throw wasn’t close.
A Fields scramble then put the ball inside the 1. The Bears went for it and handed to Herbert — who was stuffed at the line.
The Bears have been allergic to throwing inside the red zone. Thursday’s plays show why.
Entering the Commanders game, the Bears had run 27 times, thrown six passes and were sacked once in the red zone. The six passes produced two touchdowns–though Sunday’s score, a pop-pass to Velus Jones that he ran in for a nine-yard score, was a glorified handoff.
