THE CHICAGO BEARS, fueled by three touchdowns from wide receiver DJ Moore, snapped a 14-game NFL losing streak Thursday with a 40-20 triumph over the Washington Commanders.
Bears quarterback Justin Fields threw for four touchdowns, matching the career high he set last week when Chicago squandered a 21-point lead in a loss to the Denver Broncos.
This time, the Bears made their early lead stand up, notching their first win of the season and their first since they beat New England on October 24, 2022.
“It felt amazing to get the first win under our belts,” Moore said.
Fields threw for 282 yards and ran for 57, including rushing for a first down in the third quarter after he had tipped the ball to himself in the wake of a high snap.
Moore was on fire early, his two first-half touchdowns helping stake the Bears to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter.
Moore had 137 receiving yards in the first half and finished with 230 on eight catches. He rounded off his night with a 56-yard TD catch with 4:09 remaining that put the Bears up 37-20.
Cairo Santos followed with his fourth field goal of the night.
On a day when the Bears mourned the death of defensive great Dick Butkus at the age of 80, Chicago’s defense came up big.
They sacked Washington quarterback Sam Howell five times and forced two turnovers as the Commanders slumped to a third straight defeat.
Howell threw for 388 yards and two touchdowns, but was picked off on the final drive of the first half.
Moore said he was “out of this world nervous” before the game, but he and Fields were on the same wavelength early.
Fields hit Moore with a 20-yard touchdown pass on the Bears’ opening drive.
After a field goal by Santos, Fields found Moore with an 11-yard TD pass early in the second quarter.
The Bears’ lead climbed to 27-3 when Fields hit Cole Kmet for a touchdown with less than 30 seconds left in the first half.
Washington opened the third quarter with a touchdown drive and two-point conversion, but the Commanders’ comeback bid stalled with a Logan Thomas fumble and kicker Joey Slye’s miss on a 46-yard field goal attempt.
They managed to get the deficit down to 10 points, but could get no closer.
“We just needed a win, get the mojo in our favor,” Moore said. “It’s time to carry that over into the weeks coming.”
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