Round 1 of Caleb Williams versus Jayden Daniels proved to be one of the most memorable endings in the NFL in 2024. Chicago Bears fans, of course, would like to forget Daniels’ 52-yard Hail Mary to win the game.
If Round 2 is half as wild, Monday night could be full of surprises.
The Bears (2-2) return to action against the Washington Commanders (3-2) on “Monday Night Football” at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md. (7:15 p.m., ABC-7).
Here are five things to watch ahead of the much-anticipated rematch — plus the Tribune’s predictions for the game.
The QB comparison
Daniels and Williams will forever be linked.
That’s what happens when one quarterback is selected first in the draft and the other goes second. Williams was the darling of the 2024 draft, but Daniels was the one who won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and led his team to the NFC championship game.
This year, Daniels missed Week 3 and Week 4 with a sprained left knee before returning for last week’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. In three starts this season, Daniels threw for four touchdowns with no interceptions. Always dangerous as a runner, Daniels is averaging 41.3 yards on the ground.
That has propelled the Commanders to the league’s top rushing attack (156.4 yards per game)
“He’s a big reason why their running game is what it is,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “He strikes a lot of fear into opposing coaches, because you look at him and you know you’ve got to account for him, not just as an accurate passer, not just as a scrambler, but the quarterback-driven run game that they do a lot of.”
In their first matchup nearly a year ago, Williams could’ve been the hero. The touchdown drive he led just before Daniels’ Hail Mary toss was perhaps his most clutch performance of 2024. He led the offense on a 10-play, 62-yard touchdown drive, capped with a 1-yard touchdown run from Roschon Johnson. The Bears left Daniels with just 19 seconds on the clock.
If not for the Hail Mary, the narrative the following morning would’ve been about Williams’ gritty win on an afternoon when the offense struggled mightily. Instead, it became a circus, with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in the crosshairs for his lack of awareness on the final play. Stevenson said this week that he has grown from that experience.
The QB comparison between Williams and Daniels will never go away. ESPN broadcasters Joe Buck and Troy Aikman almost certainly will touch on it during the broadcast.
Players in the spotlight
Commanders WR Deebo Samuel and RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt
The Commanders made headlines in March when they traded a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for Samuel.
The jack-of-all-trades playmaker has added a new dynamic to coordinator Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Samuel’s versatility is what allowed him to emerge as an All-Pro with the 49ers in 2021. And Kingsbury is certainly using the receiver in unique ways. Already, Samuel has seven carries and three receptions out of the backfield. He has scored four total touchdowns — three receiving and one rushing. He has 30 catches for 300 yards through five games.
The Commanders also have used Samuel on kick returns — he’s averaging 36.8 yards on six returns. He’s likely to be all over the field Monday.
“We’re going against a pro,” Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. “We’re going against a dog with really good vision and really good contact balance and we have to swarm to tackle him. You’ve got to gang tackle him. It’s not going to take one guy to get him down. It’s going to take all 11 guys.”
Since the Bears saw them a year ago, the Commanders also have a new face at running back. Croskey-Merritt, a seventh-round rookie, has emerged as the lead back after Austin Ekeler suffered a torn right Achilles tendon in Week 2.
Croskey-Merritt had his best game last week, finishing with 111 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries against the Chargers.
“The offense is explosive and it has put him in good positions to make plays,” Bears linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “Another athletic guy. He comes in and runs hard.”
Pressing question
Can the Bears hold off the Commanders pass rush?
Few teams have generated more quarterback pressures than coach Dan Quinn’s Commanders. Entering Week 6, they are pressuring opposing quarterbacks 42.3% of the time, according to NFL Pro. That ranks third in the NFL behind only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos.
Commanders edge rusher Dorance Armstrong is second in QB pressure rate among defensive linemen with enough snaps to qualify. He has created a pressure on 20.6% of his pass rush opportunities. That trails only the Houston Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. (20.8%).
Armstrong has five sacks — including two last week against the Los Angeles Chargers — tied for fourth in the NFL (Brian Burns and Nik Bonitto lead the league with seven). Armstrong’s seven tackles for a loss trail only Burns (nine) and Myles Garrett and Maxx Crosby (eight each).
Armstrong is not a household name but he’s off to a fantastic start.
“Just from being with him, I know he’s super relentless,” said Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright, who played with Armstrong in Dallas. “On the field, he’s super smart. He can kind of play ahead of certain plays. That’s why he’s able to make a lot of the plays he makes.”
Armstrong played for Quinn when the coach was the defensive coordinator with the Cowboys. Between 2018 and 2023 in Dallas, Armstrong primarily came off the bench. After the Commanders hired Quinn to be their coach, Armstrong signed as a free agent and has since emerged as a starter and difference maker.
Keep an eye on …
Potential lineup changes after the bye week.
The Bears seem poised to start Theo Benedet at left tackle. The 2024 undrafted Canadian lineman finished the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at left tackle. It’s possible the Bears will make that switch permanent.
Braxton Jones has 44 NFL starts under his belt, but it appears that Johnson is ready for a change. The coach telegraphed such a possibility in August, when he noted that the Week 1 starter at left tackle wouldn’t necessarily be the starter the entire season. He even suggested then, nearly two months ago, that the bye week was a good early-season opportunity if the Bears want to make adjustments.
Now, Benedet appears poised to earn his shot at the job. The Bears signed Benedet a year ago out of the University of British Columbia. He made some noise as a backup during 2024 training camp — and even briefly starred on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” — before an injury ended his camp prematurely. He spent the entire season on the practice squad.
A year later, Johnson likes the length and size Benedet brings to the left tackle position. Benedet earned some reps with the starters in mid-August before ultimately settling in behind Jones on the depth chart.
“He’s a pretty quick learner, quick study, and so you’re encouraged by that,” offensive line coach Dan Roushar said of Benedet. “I’ve just seen really good growth from him as a guy in the room. He wants to be right. He wants detail. At the end of the day he’s an excellent teammate.”
The aforementioned Commanders pass rush should be a tough challenge for an inexperienced left tackle such as Benedet, should he start.
Injury updates
The Bears are expected to get linebacker T.J. Edwards and nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon back from hamstring injuries this week. Gordon told members of the media this week that he “will be playing” Monday night.
Gordon has yet to appear in a game this season. Edwards should see the field for the first time since Week 2. He missed three of the last four games with a hamstring injury suffered near the end of training camp. Edwards attempted to return in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions but aggravated the injury.
Chicago Bears Q&A: What impact will the return of T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon have on the defense?
Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who has been dealing with a right knee injury all season, has yet to practice this week.
Right tackle Darnell Wright’s status remains in question after he suffered a right knee injury in Week 3. Wright sat out the win over the Raiders but did return to practice Friday in a limited capacity.
Another player to keep an eye on is kicker Cairo Santos, who has been listed as a full participant in practice despite a right thigh injury. Santos suffered the injury against the Raiders in Week 4. He hasn’t missed a game since 2022.
The team’s final injury report will be released Saturday afternoon.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (2-2)
The Commanders are going to be at a disadvantage with wide receiver Terry McLaurin expected to miss the game. But without him, the Commanders steamrolled a Raiders team the Bears were a blocked field goal away from losing to. It will be interesting to see how much of a boost Dennis Allen’s defense gets from the return of T.J. Edwards and Kyler Gordon. The Commanders have been playing better football up front, which could be the difference.
Commanders 27, Bears 24
Sean Hammond (3-1)
I’m not convinced by wins over the Cowboys and the Raiders. I do expect the Bears to hang around in this game, but I need to see them beat a good team. Williams and the offense should score some points, and the Commanders are vulnerable against the pass. The Bears defense remains a work in progress. This could be something of a shootout. Against the current version of the Bears pass rush, Daniels should have no problem doing what he wants.
Commanders 30, Bears 27
Phil Thompson (2-2)
Both teams can be beaten through the air, though the Bears have been better than the Commanders in that area. Caleb Williams and company had better hope that’s how the game plays out — an air duel with Jayden Daniels — because it doesn’t bode well if it comes down to the running game. The run-challenged Bears face a Commanders defense that’s tied for 10th-stingiest at 4 rushing yards allowed per play. Meanwhile, the Bears give up an NFL-worst 6.1 yards per play on the ground. The Commanders’ top-ranked rushing offense (156.4) features the emergent Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who leads all qualified rushers with 6.6 yards per carry. Less than ideal.
Commanders 28, Bears 24