I thought the only disaster in DC was anything to do with politics. Apparently I was wrong. The Commanders won on a last second Hail Mary that could have been prevented on so many levels. I admit I was PISSED. Really mad. Then I laughed at the absolute comical way the Bears lost. Then I was mad again after I reviewed the game several times. What an undisciplined performance in the final 20 seconds of the game. What makes this loss even worse? The defense prevented the Commanders from scoring TDs all day…except for that crazy TD at the end. Here we go with the breakdown:
-Our Offense vs Their Defense
I am going to start with our offense. Atrocious…until the end of the third quarter. Caleb was off, the receivers could not get open and our offensive coordinator had a bad game plan. The game plan seemed to bunch our receivers close to the offensive line. Washington crowded the line of scrimmage and got physical with our receiver which restricted passing lanes for Caleb. The thought behind bunch formations is to confuse zone coverages and have defenders almost run into each other to get a receiver open. Only problem was our receivers were having the trouble in staying disciplined and the Commanders defensive line was really going after Caleb.
The offense finally came alive when RB Deandre Swift finally got some good blocking outside and he took it to the house for a score. Once that happened, the offense opened up a little bit. The Bears led another scoring drive that got us to the 1 yard line. The Bears line up in a jumbo formation which we have seen work many times…and the play call is to hand it to OUR BACKUP OFFENSIVE LINEMAN AS A FB. What the hell is Shane Waldron doing? We can’t score all day…and he decided to get “cute” and try a trick handoff after we couldn’t score all day! Doug Kramer tried to take the handoff but he fumbled it…taking a sure 7 points off the board! The Bears lead another drive in the closing minutes that was very effective and they found themselves in a similar goal line situation. The best way to handle this? drain the clock by running every play and force Washington to use all their time-outs. The first play was a pass!!! What are you doing! After another play, the Bears line up in a number set…and give the ball to Roschon to score and take the lead….FINALLY! 28 seconds left…easy win right? WRONG!
-Our Defense vs Their Offense
Since our offense was very anemic during most of the game, the Commanders had short fields to get points on the board. While the defense gave up a few big plays, the defense locked down the offense when they got down to the red zone and forced the Commanders to take 4 FGs! Phenomenal job really on defense for most of the game! The one thing that bothered me was how many times Jayden Daniels got out of the pocket. Overall, the Bears did a great job against the run.
Now, let’s get to the shit show that is the final 28 seconds of the game. The Commanders were too far away to try a Hail Mary deep pass. They needed 13-15 yards to get a chance. Eberflus thought it was a good idea to back up and let them get 15 yards….WHY? Lock them down and force them to fight for the yardage! After that, Bears rushed 3 and Daniels maneuvered around to find the best angle to launch the ball up for grabs. Just prior to the play, Tyrique Stevenson is seen talking to fans and not paying attention to the play. He eventually gets into position. While Daniels is moving around our LB TJ Edwards was assigned to the RB. The RB was in pass protection which should prompted TJ to rush the passer. Daniels launches the ball eventually…and a group of players go up for the ball…Stenson tops the ball backwards…INTO THE WAITING ARMS OF A COMMANDER RECEIVER! AHHHHHHHHH! Are you kidding me? First of all, Hail Mary 101…KNOCK THE DAMN BALL DOWN! Do not tip it up! Next, NEVER let a receiver get behind you…the defense should always have a last line of defense…can you guess who should have watched the guy in back? Stevenson!!!! Colossal, unprofessional, sloppy screwup! After reviewing the play several times…our defensive linemen were being held really bad…right in front of the ref. The holding was egregious…impossible to miss. The latest narrative is “we don’t call holding on Hail Mary plays”. That’s the dumbest thing I have ever heard. A penalty is a penalty…and if it directly impacts the winner of the game…it HAS to be called. Seems like common sense to me.
-Conclusion
This loss really stung for me so I am sure the team and coaches are really feeling it. Coming back like the Bears did after the defense carried the team…only to have the defense screw up and cost the Bears the game is just awful. Hopefully this loss can motivate the team to start dominating opponents in the next few weeks. I want to see some aggression. If I’m a coach, I’m getting these guys playing angry from now to the rest of season. Fans and analysts are literally laughing at the team right now….time to shut them up.