If you thought last Thursday night’s game was ugly, the Bears and Commanders want you to hold their beer.
Joey Slye’s 38-yard field goal with 46 seconds left in the first half gave Washington a 3-0 halftime lead. Thus, the teams avoided the first halftime shutout since Washington-San Francisco in 2019, which ended in a 9-0 49ers’ win.
In the first half Thursday night, the teams combined for 290 yards, seven penalties, seven punts, one turnover and four sacks. Both teams went 1-for-6 on third down, and both teams saw their starting quarterback beaten up in the first half.
Carson Wentz hit his hand on Justin Jones’ hand on the Commanders’ nine-play, 57-yard scoring drive. He continually flexed it after that.
Wentz was on target on what should have been a 40-yard touchdown throw to Curtis Samuel, but Samuel dropped the pass. Five plays later, the Commanders had to settle for the field goal.
The Bears actually had two trips into the red zone. Justin Fields threw an interception on one, and they were stopped on downs on the other.
On its second possession, Chicago reached the Washington 5, where it faced a second-and-goal. Fields threw a pass over the middle that hit off Efe Obada’s helmet and into the air. Jonathan Allen picked it with 2:18 remaining in the first quarter.
The Bears got back inside the 10 on Khalil Herbert’s 64-yard run to the 6.
They got as close as the 1 before Herbert was stood up by Cole Holcomb and Montez Sweat at the line of scrimmage on fourth-and-goal with 11:18 remaining until halftime.
Fields took two big shots at the end of the half and was slow getting up after both. Daron Payne hit Fields on an incompletion with 14 seconds left, and then on the next play, Jamin Davis got to Fields on a 15-yard completion.
Fields would have had to leave the game for at least one play, but the Bears called timeout. He stayed in and threw a Hail Mary that fell incomplete.
Fields completed 7 of 14 passes for 89 yards with the interception, and Wentz was 5-of-14 for 57 yards.
Washington’s 88 yards are the fewest this season by a team leading at halftime, and Chicago’s 202 yards are the most this season by a team held scoreless at halftime.
