Last we left our Bears, a couple of Sunday's ago (10/5), it took a blocked field goal for the visitors to leave Las Vegas a winner.
"It was an ugly win. But it's a win at the end of the day." Says cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, “We know we've got some stuff we need to clean up. We could play better complimentary football, especially on the defense doing what they're doing early on in the game getting take-aways like that. We have to capitalize better on those. But when you win on the road, a tough one like that. It shows something."
Stevenson says it was an "ugly win" over the Raiders, 25-24. And he knows ugly. The Bears go into Washington on Monday Night Football, where Stevenson made the biggest mistake of his career last year- taunting Commanders fans along the sideline, before realizing they'd snapped the football on the final play. He rushed to re-join the action at the goal line and jumped towards the football, and made the mistake of batting it back instead of down, and into the hands of Commanders receiver Noah Brown for a 52-yard touchdown completion.
Bears lose, 18-15.
Fellow defensive back, Kyler Gordon says Stevenson has earned his reputation back since show-boating on the 'Fail Mary,'
"He's just been better, more focused, detailed. Just being on top of things." Gordon says. "It was just a slight mistake. Well, I wouldn't say 'slight', obviously it cost us the game. It was a mistake. Everyone knows. And knows how to change and act accordingly. And so, just to see him grow, detail-wise ...attention to everything in the game ...good habits."
Gordon and linebacker T.J. Edwards return from injuries, adding two key defensive starters to the difficult effort of corralling Commanders pro-bowl quarterback Jayden Daniels, who out-shined the Bears' Caleb Williams last year for rookie of the year.
"Dangerous. Dangerous” Bears head coach Ben Johnson says of Daniels. "He's a big reason why they're running game is what it is."
The Commanders lead NFL at 153.4 rushing yards a game.
"He (Daniels) 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, or not just as a scrambler but the quarterback-driven run game that they do a lot of."
Daniels is the first quarterback to rush for over one-thousand yards in 20 or fewer career games.
"Fast, slippery. It's going to take all eleven guys playing discipline football to make sure we contain their (offensive) attack."
Johnson's Bears are short-handed, minus injured defensive lineman Grady Jarrett.
Four Bears are "questionable"; K Cairo Santos, tight end Colston Loveland, running back Travis Homer and defensive lineman Austin Booker.
Kickoff can't come soon enough for the Bears quarterback Caleb Williams- coming off a bye week and waiting an extra day before trying to "get even" with the Commanders,
"Does it (last year's loss in D.C.) bother me?" Williams asks back. "Yeah. In the sense I want to win every single game."
"I know that's not going to happen, so being able to orchestrate this game, orchestrate this week, have the guys focus on what we need to focus on ...I think is where I'm at. Not necessarily going down the rabbit hole of the 'revenge' title."
Williams has a new left tackle starting in front of him in Washington. Theo Benedet replaces Braxton Jones. Benedet started at right tackle last game and played some left tackle. Now, after facing Raiders All Pro Max Crosby, he's had a full practice week to prepare to face Commanders edge rusher Dorance Armstrong (5 sacks) and Von Miller, the 36-year-old future Hall of Famer (3 sacks).
Opportunity knocks for the rested and refreshed Bears to show a nation-wide audience how far they've come since their last primetime game, a three-point loss to the Vikings on Monday Night Football opening night.