QUARTERBACK: D
Caleb Williams looked like he was the quarterback playing through bruised ribs instead of counterpart Jayden Daniels. The rookie was off the mark on several throws throughout the game. But after completing 3 of 8 passes for 33 yards in the first half, he rallied in the second half, particularly in the fourth quarter on two touchdown drives. He finished 10 of 24 for 131 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions for a 59.5 passer rating.
OFFENSIVE LINE: D
Even with the same starting lineup for the fifth consecutive game — a high watermark for the Matt Eberflus era — the line was unable to sustain its progress against subpar defensive fronts in the previous three games. Williams was sacked on his very first attempt. Left tackle Braxton Jones left with a knee injury in the second quarter and was replaced by rookie Kiran Amegadjie, who was beaten by blitzing linebacker Frankie Luvu for a pressure that led to a sack. Left guard Teven Jenkins and back-up Bill Murray both were injured late in the game, with Doug Kramer at left end.
DEFENSIVE LINE: B
While far from its best performance, the line made enough plays to keep the Bears in it. Montez Sweat had a sack, two tackles for loss and three quarterback hits. Chris Williams had a key stop to force a punt that set up the Bears’ go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter. After DT Gervon Dexter left temporarily with an injury, Byron Cowart had a tackle for loss and Sweat a pressure that led to an incompletion to force the Commanders to settle for a field goal.
SECONDARY: D
There were several breakdowns on the Hail Mary pass that beat the Bears, but the secondary is the last line of defense. Allowing an offensive player to get behind you is an inexcusable error. Tyrique Stevenson had a rough day — beaten for a 61-yard pass play, penalized for unnecessary roughness for a 15-yard penalty and gesturing towards fans with his back to the Hail Mary play as the ball was snapped.
COACHING: F
Where to start? The Bears were slow out of the gate following the bye — another three-and-out on the first series and just not sharp for most of the game. On third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, a handoff to center Doug Kramer was way too cute — Kramer and Williams botched the handoff and the Commanders recovered. And losing on a Hail Mary capped a day of poor preparation for a big moment.