Chicago Bears notes: Velus Jones Jr. fumbles another fourth-quarter punt return

CHICAGO – For the second time in three weeks, Bears rookie Velus Jones Jr. muffed a key fourth-quarter punt.

The Bears held a one-point lead in Thursday night’s game against the Washington Commanders when Jones stepped back to receive a punt deep in his own territory. Jones failed to catch the punt cleanly and the Commanders jumped on it at the 6-yard line. Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. punched in a touchdown moments later.

The Bears made a wild comeback attempt, but Robinson’s score proved to be the game-winning touchdown for Washington in a win over the Bears, 12-7, at Soldier Field.

The fumble was reminiscent of Jones’ fumble two weeks earlier against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In that instance, the Bears were trailing by a touchdown with just over two minutes to play.

Thursday night’s muff didn’t come at quite as dire a time, but it was still crippling for the Bears.

“It wasn’t a smart play,” Jones said. “I tried to do too much. Should have let it be a touchback.”

Head coach Matt Eberflus alluded to the fact that Jones’ job as the punt returner could be in jeopardy after two big-time mistakes in recent weeks.

“No. 1 job of kick returner or punt returner is to catch the ball, so we are going to have to look at that,” Eberflus said.

Red zone struggles: Three times the Bears had the ball inside the Commanders’ 5-yard line. They scored zero points on those three trips.

One was a Fields’ interception that bounced off a lineman’s helmet. Another time they went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line and failed to convert. The final attempt came on the deciding play of the game, where they were again short of the line to gain.

“We’ve got to do a better job executing,” Eberflus said. “Really when you think about it, do a better job of us on first, second or third down getting the ball in there, so not putting yourself in that fourth-down situation.”

At one point in the second quarter, quarterback Justin Fields missed his tight end Ryan Griffin, who was wide open near the end zone. Fields took the blame for a bad throw.

“I’m an NFL quarterback,” Fields said. “I’ve got to hit that.”

Johnson’s big play: Cornerback Jaylon Johnson made his return after missing three games with a quad injury. Johnson made a key pass break up late in the second quarter to keep the Commanders out of the end zone.

Going one-on-one against Washington receiver Terry McLaurin, Johnson batted down a pass from Washington quarterback Carson Wentz. The Commanders wound up settling for a field goal and taking a 3-0 lead into halftime. It was the only scoring drive for either team in the first half, and it was largely aided by two penalties against the Bears.

A few plays earlier, Johnson had been called for defensive pass interference, a call that he took exception with. He put that penalty behind him quickly and made a nice play against McLaurin.

“One-on-one, I seen him look,” Johnson said. “I knew he was man-to-man and they knew that as well. I feel like they tried their best guy and I was fortunate enough to make a play.”

The Bears defense played well Thursday. The only touchdown drive they allowed began on the 6-yard line after Jones’ fumble. Washington went just 2-for-11 on third down.

Fields beat up: Fields took a couple of hard hits before halftime, then again on his 39-yard touchdown pass to receiver Dante Pettis.

Fields’ left shoulder – his non-throwing shoulder – appeared to be bothering him on the sideline after that possession.

“I’m hurting,” Fields said after the game. “I’m hurting pretty good, but we’ve got a long weekend.”

Fields noted that he hurt his left shoulder “a while back,” but re-aggravated the injury Thursday. He used an elastic band to keep his shoulder muscles activated while the defense was on the field.

Right guard Teven Jenkins also injured his shoulder during the game. He briefly left the game in the third quarter but later returned. Left guard Lucas Patrick left the game to be evaluated for a concussion but also later returned.