From the moment the Chicago Bears' schedule came out in May, fans knew that it was going to be a tough start to the season.
So far, the team has responded well with a 2-2 record. The tricky part is that their two wins are against average teams in the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders. Their other two opponents with winning records, the Minnesota Vikings and the Detroit Lions, were losses and from their own division.
The Bears are in search of a signature win on the season, and a signature win for the young careers of head coach Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Both guys are looking to build their legacies in the Windy City, and their upcoming game could be what they need.
Johnson knows he's got a tough matchup against the Washington Commanders
On Wednesday, Johnson spoke with the media about the Washington Commanders, who they will be facing on Monday night. The Bears' head coach paid high compliments to the team and their head coach, Dan Quinn.
“Man, you need to play complementary football to beat this team," Johnson said via CHGO. "This is a really good football team. I think Dan Quinn is an outstanding coach. … His guys play hard; they play inspired football. There are a lot of similarities between what we faced a couple of weeks ago with the Raiders and a Pete Carroll-led team and a Dan Quinn-led team.”
The Commanders are coming into the game with a 3-2 record and a convincing blowout win over the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-10. Washington's strength is in its running game, as they are ranked first in the NFL, averaging 156.4 yards per game.
That's a problem for the Bears as they allow 164.5 yards per game, ranking dead last in the NFL. Two weeks ago, against the Raiders, they allowed a staggering 240 yards on the ground.
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Bears fans want revenge after what happened with the Hail Mary against Washington last year, which derailed their whole season. A win on the Commanders would be vindication for that game and could spark a run the rest of the season for Chicago.