(670 The Score) It’s Week 6. The Bears are back at Soldier Field – in their only October home game – for a little Thursday Night Football against the Washington Commanders, who are terrible. The Bears might be in the early stages of a long rebuild, but at least they’re not 1-4 with a coach who's already explicitly criticizing his quarterback to the media. The good news is that Justin Fields has improved for three straight weeks and the Bears are impossible to beat in Thursday night home games (don't look it up, learn to trust). The bad news is that they're wearing bright orange jerseys, and the worst news is that they’re wearing bright orange helmets. Nothing conveys Chicago Bears toughness more than dressing up like Syracuse. Here are the matchups to watch while you’re shielding your eyes from the bright orange helmets.
Bears C Sam Mustipher vs. Commanders DT Jonathan Allen
At this point, I think it’s fair to admit that Mustipher has been starting at center so much longer than anyone thought he would, which he should be commended for. The Bears coaches who are making that decision perhaps shouldn’t be quite as commended, but good for Mustipher! He has been the 27th-best center in football this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Admittedly, that’s not great. But would you feel better if you learned that it was 27th out of 38? No? Ah. On the other hand/side of the line is Allen, who by those same metrics has been the 32nd-best interior lineman out of 121. What’s weird is that ESPN has the Bears ranked as the sixth-best team in terms of pass block win rate, which goes against literally almost every other data source out there and also everyone’s eyeballs. Bet you don’t hate ESPN now! The Commanders’ front has some studs beyond Allen, and the Bears don’t have guard Cody Whitehair for the first time since they moved up from Decatur. It’s a tale as old as time: Fields may be doing that cool reverse-spin-out-of-the-pocket move on more than a few occasions Thursday.
Bears WR Darnell Mooney vs. Commanders S Kamren Curl
Mooney finally had his "breakout" game against the Giants on Oct. 2, going for 94 yards on four catches. That’s like 85% of the Bears’ offense! He followed that up with one of the most memorable catches he’ll ever make in an otherwise totally forgettable performance against the Vikings on Sunday, which sort of felt like a microcosm of his season so far. I’d argue that Mooney is the only pass-catching option on the team who’s above replacement-level, and even with a hugely underwhelming stat line so far (10 catches for 173 yards and no touchdowns whatsoever), he has still been the most productive receiver on the team by a wide margin. Taking away his deep routes will be Curl, who PFF ranks as the best safety in football so far. The Bears' passing game really has two options: throw it deep to Mooney knowing he’ll catch it or throw it extremely-not-deep to Cole Kmet and hope he catches it. The crowd at Soldier Field is going to be well-hydrated and ready for some big plays Thursday evening, which means that Mooney and Curl are probably going to be playing 500 at least once or twice. If the Bears can stretch the field even somewhat successfully, they’ll probably get the requisite 17 points needed to win.
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin vs. Bears CB Jaylon Johnson
I’d argue this is the most talented one-on-one matchup anywhere on the field Thursday. McLaurin’s season (19 receptions for 306 yards and one touchdown) hasn’t been quite as prolific as some expected, but again, the Commanders are 1-4 and their quarterback is Carson Wentz. If anyone in the NFL is prepared to empathize with that, it should be Bears fans. Johnson hasn’t played in almost a month, but he has been a full participant in the team’s practices/walk-throughs this week and it sure sounds like he’s going to suit up in all orange Thursday. Considering what Justin Jefferson did to the Bears’ secondary last week, it’s not a moment too soon.
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.
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