Chicago Bears vs. Washington Commanders: Live updates from FedEx Field

LANDOVER, Md. – The Bears return to action Thursday night with a primetime matchup against the Washington Commanders.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus desperately needs a win after an 0-4 start to the season. Quarterback Justin Fields hopes his success last week against Denver can carry over into Week 5. The Bears have lost 14 consecutive games dating back to last year.

Shaw Local’s Bears beat writer Sean Hammond is at FedEx Field in North Englewood, Maryland, for Thursday’s game. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @sean_hammond, on Instagram at @bears_reporter and on Threads at @bears_reporter. For all the latest news from Shaw Local, follow @bears_insider on X. Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman will provide his thoughts on X at @WaddleandSilvy.

Below is everything Bears fans need to know ahead of the game. Stay right here all game long for live updates, too.

Bears win, ending 14-game losing streak

Cairo Santos added a late field goal and the Bears won, 40-20, on Thursday night against Washington. The win snapped a 14-game losing streak for the Bears. It was the first time the Bears had scored 40 points since Dec. 27, 2020, against Jacksonville.

The Bears move to 1-4 on the season. They next play the Vikings on Oct. 15.

DJ Moore scores again

One more time, DJ Moore found the end zone. It appeared to be the icing on the cake for the Bears. The Bears lead, 37-20, late in the fourth quarter.

Slye misses field goal

A 46-yard field goal attempt from kicker Joey Slye went wide and the kick was no good. A field goal would’ve cut the Bears’ lead to one possession.

Instead, the Bears took over with just over five minutes to play, leading by double digits, 30-20.

Commanders add touchdown, cut lead to 10

Washington QB Sam Howell connected with Curtis Samuel for a 3-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter. Howell could not reach the goal line on his diving attempt for a two-point conversion, so the lead remains 10 points. The Bears lead, 30-20, with 10:51 remaining in the game.

The Bears defense completely lost Samuel on the touchdown play.

Santos makes field goal

Cairo Santos made a 43-yard field goal for the Bears, giving the Bears a 16-point advantage, 30-14.

The Bears drove 50 yards on eight plays to extend their lead early in the fourth quarter.

Commanders add field goal

Washington kicker Joey Slye made a 32-yard field goal to cut the Bears’ lead to 27-14 with 3:17 remaining in the third quarter.

The Commanders elected not to go for it on fourth-and-2 from the Bears’ 13-yard line.

Khalil Herbert suffers awkward injury

Bears running back Khalil Herbert’s leg was caught in the turf awkwardly as he turned around in an attempt to catch a pass from Justin Fields. Herbert was down on the field for several minutes. Players on both teams knelt on the field as Herbert was attended to by trainers.

Herbert stood and walked off the field on his own. Herbert did later briefly return to the game.

Commanders finally find the end zone

Washington received the kickoff to start the second half and drove 75 yards to score their first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Sam Howell connected with tight end Logan Thomas for a 2-yard touchdown.

Along the way, Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson drew a defensive pass interference penalty that gave the Commanders the ball at the 2-yard line. It went for a 25-yard penalty.

The Commanders scored a two-point conversion to narrow the Bears’ lead, 27-11.

Justin Fields finds Cole Kmet for a touchdown

Justin Fields threw his third touchdown pass of the game late in the second quarter, this time finding tight end Cole Kmet for a 4-yard score. The interception from cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. gave the Bears a short field to work with. It went down as a 36-yard touchdown drive.

The Bears lead, 27-3, as halftime approaches.

Fields has 189 passing yards and three touchdowns on 12-of-20 passing.

Greg Stroman Jr. picks off Sam Howell

On the first play from scrimmage following Cairo Santos’ field goal, Bears cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. jumped in front of a receiver and picked off a pass from Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. It was Stroman’s third career interception and second as a member of the Bears.

It came with just over two minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Patrick, Johnson evaluated for concussions; Bears add field goal

Bears center Lucas Patrick and running back Roschon Johnson have both left the game in the second quarter and are being evaluated for concussions. With Patrick out, the Bears shifted Cody Whitehair to the center position and inserted Teven Jenkins at right guard.

On the next offensive possession, the Bears drove 57 yards and added a field goal on a 36-yard kick from Cairo Santos. On the play prior, Justin Fields tried to find Darnell Mooney in the end zone, but the Commanders’ coverage knocked the pass away.

Commanders score field goal

The Bears had a chance at an interception on third down. Defensive tackle Justin Jones tipped a pass at the line of scrimmage that linebacker Tremaine Edmunds nearly came down with, but instead the ball bounced away incomplete.

Commanders kicker Joey Slye made a 51-yard field goal. The Bears still lead, 17-3.

DJ Moore scores his 2nd touchdown

DJ Moore is taking over.

The Bears receiver made two more huge plays on the Bears’ third possession of the night. He broke free for a 39-yard gain on a relatively short pass from Fields. That set up what became an 11-yard touchdown reception from Fields.

On the touchdown, Moore just barely had time to get his feet down before his momentum pulled him out of bounds. It was his second score of the evening. Moore has 137 receiving yards in the game already. He’s more than halfway to Alshon Jeffery’s Bears single-game record of 249 yards from Dec. 1, 2013.

The Bears extended their lead, 17-0, in the second quarter.

Teven Jenkins makes his season debut

Bears offensive lineman Teven Jenkins returned to action for the first time this season. Jenkins missed the first four games with a calf injury. He entered the game at left guard for the Bears’ third offensive possession. He appeared to be splitting reps with Cody Whitehair at left guard.

Lucas Patrick remained at the center position.

Bears push lead to 10

After a quick defensive stop from the Bears defense, Fields and the offense drove the length of the field again and added a field goal from kicker Cairo Santos. Khalil Herbert had a nice gain during the drive.

Like last week, the Bears faced another fourth-and-1 situation at the Commanders’ 4-yard line, and head coach Matt Eberflus elected to have Santos kick the 22-yard field goal. The kick was good, giving the Bears a two-score lead, 10-0.

A week ago, Eberflus passed up a potential game-winning field goal in the red zone against Denver, instead running the ball on fourth down. The plan backfired last week when Herbert was stuffed for no gain.

This time, Eberflus took the points.

Bears score on first possession

The Bears received the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards on the first possession of the game. Justin Fields connected with receiver DJ Moore on two key third-down plays along the way – including the touchdown.

The first came with the offense in its own territory. The Commanders lost Moore in coverage and he hauled in a 58-yard pass to get the Bears into the red zone. Later, following a sack that forced a third-and-14, Fields again connected with Moore, this time for a 20-yard touchdown.

The Bears took an early lead, 7-0, with 12:04 remaining in the first quarter.

Bears legend Dick Butkus dies at 80

Just hours before the game, news broke that Bears legend Dick Butkus died peacefully at his home in Malibu on Thursday. Butkus was 80 and is survived by his wife Helen.

Butkus was a true legend of the game. A Chicago native, he played college football at Illinois and played nine seasons for the Bears. He was a two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, a five-time first-team All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowl player. He was known as one of the fiercest linebackers the NFL has ever seen.

For more on Butkus’ death, read this story here.

Bears announce inactive players

As expected, safety Eddie Jackson and cornerback Jaylon Johnson will not play Thursday. Both were made inactive prior to Thursday’s kickoff.

Also inactive for the Bears are running back D’Onta Foreman, safety Duron Harmon, receiver Chase Claypool and offensive lineman Aviante Collins.

Safety Jaquan Brisker, who tweaked his hamstring in practice Wednesday, is active will suit up Thursday.

Latest injury news: Teven Jenkins activated

On Wednesday, the Bears ruled out safety Eddie Jackson (foot) and cornerback Jaylon Johnson (hamstring). Once again, the Bears will be forced to play several backups in the secondary. Kyler Gordon (hand) and Josh Blackwell (hamstring) are both on injured reserve.

Offensive lineman Teven Jenkins will return after missing four games with a calf injury. Jenkins returned to practice this week and was a full participant all three days. The team activated Jenkins from IR on Thursday. In a corresponding move, they released quarterback Nathan Peterman. The Bears will have only two QBs available Thursday: Fields and backup Tyson Bagent.

Receiver Chase Claypool will not play Thursday. The team asked Claypool not to come to work this week after he criticized his coaches during an interview with members of the media on Friday. Claypool didn’t play Sunday against Denver, and did not even attend the game.

Additionally, safety Jaquan Brisker is questionable for Thursday’s game after tweaking his hamstring in practice Wednesday. If Brisker is unable to go, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson would be the only Week 1 starter in the secondary who remains healthy.

What to expect from the Commanders

The Bears will try to make things tough on Washington quarterback Sam Howell, who has given up a league-leading 24 sacks. The Bears defensive front, however, has only two sacks through four games.

That will be one of the key matchups to watch in this game. For all the top storylines heading into Thursday’s game, check out Shaw Local’s five storylines to watch here.

Howell is one of the most overlooked starting quarterbacks in the league right now. He was a 2022 fifth-round draft pick who isn’t exactly a household name across most of the country. Also keep an eye on the Commanders’ defensive line. Washington has one of the best defensive fronts in football, and it will challenge the Bears’ offensive line.

Could this be Eberflus’ last game as Bears head coach? There’s some speculation that another loss might signal the end for Eberflus. Silvy believes Eberflus has already proven that he’s not the answer. Read Silvy’s column here.

Can the Bears offense keep it going?

Another big storyline this week was the offensive explosion that Bears fans saw from Fields and the offense last week against Denver. Was it a breakthrough? Or was it a matter of facing a terrible Denver defense?

Fields and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy believe the Bears can keep that positive mojo going. Thursday will be a chance to prove it.

The Bears will have to do it without Claypool, who had been one of the key receivers for this offense. The Bears had no problem racking up passing yards last week without Claypool. Still, it’s surprising how quickly things fell apart with Claypool.

It’s unclear what the Bears will do with him. It’s possible they seek to trade him. It’s also possible that if they can’t find a trade partner, they will be forced to release him.

What else did I miss this week?

It was a quick turnaround for the Bears this week. Here’s what else was going on at Halas Hall.

[ Nate Davis says Chicago Bears fully supported him during tough time ]

[ Bear Down, Nerd Up: Over 14-game losing streak, Bears defense has been historically bad ]

[ Three things Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday after loss to Broncos ]

[ Five big takeaways from Chicago Bears’ epic collapse against Denver Broncos ]