The Chicago Bears’ wide receiver, DJ Moore, showcased his skills on Thursday night at FedEx Field, running 8 yards up the left sideline before making a remarkable catch. The pass, thrown by quarterback Justin Fields, soared towards Moore, with Washington Commanders cornerback Kendall Fuller attempting to make a play, but Moore leaped behind him and secured the pass.
Moore then sprinted an additional 48 yards to score a touchdown. This moment brought a sense of relief not only to Fields and tight end Cole Kmet but also to Bears fans.
Fields expressed, “Sigh of relief,” while Kmet echoed, “Relief. It’s been a long time coming.”
Moore’s 56-yard touchdown, with 4 minutes and 18 seconds left on the clock, sealed a 40-20 victory over the Commanders, ending a 14-game losing streak for the Bears. Remarkably, it had been precisely 346 days since the Bears had last won a game.
Their previous game, just four days earlier against the Denver Broncos, had seen a 21-point lead crumble, raising questions about the Bears’ and Fields’ ability to finish games. As the Commanders gradually chipped away at a 27-3 halftime lead, anxiety mounted among fans. However, Moore’s eighth catch of the day, his third touchdown, secured the Bears’ first win of the season.
The night began with a moment of silence to honor the late legendary Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, but it ended with jubilant music in the visitors’ locker room—a celebration Butkus would have surely enjoyed. Bears coach Matt Eberflus, whose job had been in question all week, praised his players for their resilience during adversity. Fields, who had thrown for 617 yards and eight touchdowns in the past two weeks, expressed his love and appreciation for everyone associated with the team.
“It just felt good, just seeing all the hard work pay off,” Fields said. “Getting a win after everything that’s happened this year — everything in the media, everything on the outside. … I’m proud of everybody in the building. I love everybody on my team — players, coaches, shoot, everybody upstairs. I might not even know them, but I love you all. That feeling was a feeling you never wanted to end.”
For a while, it appeared uncertain if the Bears would achieve that feeling.
The Commanders closed the gap to 10 points with quarterback Sam Howell’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Curtis Samuel with 10:55 remaining. The Bears, who had lost multiple running backs to injuries during the game, went three-and-out on their next drive, giving the Commanders an opportunity to get within a touchdown.
However, the Bears’ defense stepped up, with defensive end Yannick Ngakoue recording one of five sacks in the game. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson broke up a deep pass to Terry McLaurin that was initially flagged for pass interference but was later determined to be a non-penalty. Commanders kicker Joey Slye then missed a 46-yard field goal wide right.
Coach Eberflus had emphasized the importance of finishing all week.
“You finish with detail. You finish with the cycle of the snap. You finish playing one play,” Eberflus emphasized. “You can’t look at the scoreboard. … If you keep it that way, execution is going to be good.”
Three plays later, on third-and-2, Moore made the game-sealing play, accumulating 230 receiving yards for the game, the second-most in a single game in Bears history, trailing only Alshon Jeffery’s 249 in 2013. The Fields-Moore connection played a significant role in the Bears’ commanding lead, complemented by solid offensive line play and key takeaways from the Bears’ defense.
Moore admitted to feeling “out of this world nervous” on the day of the prime-time game, fearing he might “mess up” on national TV. Little did he know, his nerves were a precursor to his outstanding performance, and he looked forward to more nervous days before future games.
The Bears are hopeful that this victory will be a turning point, with Kmet stating, “Huge. (Fields) He doesn’t have to put it all on his back, either. We’ve got guys. We’ve got DJ, myself (Darnell Mooney), Khalil. We’ve got dudes that can seal the deal. I think he’s just gaining confidence in everybody and then obviously the scheme in place as well.”
