Stock up, Stock down after Bears' Hail Mary loss to Commanders |
Chicago’s 18-15 loss to the Washington Commanders was the most painful loss of the season. The offense was nonexistent for most of the game and the Bears defense could not keep the Commanders outside of the endzone when it counted most. Things look rather bleak for Chicago right about now.
Caleb Williams - Stock Down After a few weeks of seemingly taking a step in the right direction, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams seemed to take a step back against the Commanders. He had a career-low completion percentage of 41.7 percent and did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time since the second week of the season. Something about playing on the road is not clicking for Williams, who has only two touchdown passes and four interceptions in those three games. He has been sacked 13 times in Chicago’s three road games this season. If Williams and the Bears offense cannot get things going in road games, they will not be a playoff contender. D’Andre Swift - Stock Up The one bright spot of the game was running back D’Andre Swift. Like much of the offense, he struggled throughout most of the first three quarters. However, he is the one who finally got the Bears on the board with a 56-yard rushing touchdown. Chicago needed a spark and he gave it to them and recorded his first 100-yard rushing game of the season as a Bear. It also marked his fourth game in a row with a rushing touchdown. In a game where not much was going right on offense, the Bears had Swift. Matt Eberflus - Stock Down The defense was strong for most of the game. They held one of the best scoring offenses in the NFL to just 12 points through the first 59 and a half minutes of the game. Chicago had their first blocked field goal of the season. However, when it truly mattered, head coach Matt Eberflus’ defense and decision making failed. The strategy on the second-to-last play of the game to allow the Commanders to pick up 13 yards to get in range for the hail mary did not make sense. Not using a timeout prior to the hail mary was certainly questionable. The result of the hail mary was heartbreaking, but certainly preventable. His persistent defense of his decisions on the final drive makes even less sense. His stock is certainly down after this game and he is now back in the hot seat. Tyrique Stevenson - Stock Down It goes without saying that cornerback Tyrique Stevenson saw a dramatic decrease in his stock after the way he acted on the final play of the game. There is no excuse for acting like the game is over, not paying attention during the play, and tipping the ball straight into the hands of the Commanders receiver. He should face some consequences from within the organization, such as being suspended for Chicago’s matchup this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals (3:05 p.m. / CBS). Montez Sweat - Stock Up On a Hail Mary, you always want to have your best pass rusher on the field. For Chicago, that player is edge rusher Montez Sweat. However, on the final play of the game, Sweat was not in the game as a result of a shin injury. We will never know if that would have made a difference, but Sweat is a determined player who would have made things uncomfortable for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. His stock is up because his absence was felt on that play. Hopefully, he can return when the Bears face the Cardinals.
