Chicago Bears 40-20 Washington Commanders: Justin Fields and DJ Moore inspire Bears to first win of the season

Justin Fields connected with DJ Moore for 230 yards and three touchdowns as the Chicago Bears clinched their first win of the season by beating the Washington Commanders 40-20 on Thursday night, hours after word emerged of the death of franchise great Dick Butkus.

The Bears snapped a 14-game skid dating to last season, the result coming as their first victory since October 24, 2022 amid a wide receiver in exile in Chase Claypool, with their defensive coordinator gone and in the aftermath of blowing a 21-point lead against the Denver Broncos last week.

None of that mattered in the moment. Fields had four touchdown passes to match his career high set last week, this time coming in a winning effort as Chicago (1-4) temporarily put all the off-field drama aside.

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Fields threw for 282 yards and ran for 57 yards, including a rush for a first down late in the third quarter after tipping the ball to himself following a high snap. Moore had 137 yards receiving in the first half alone, becoming the first Bears player to surpass 125 before halftime since at least 2000, and finished with eight catches.

The Bears also got a defensive performance that felt like a fitting way to honour Butkus, the fearsome Hall of Fame linebacker who died at age 80 earlier on Thursday. They forced two turnovers and sacked Sam Howell five times in bouncing back from a bad loss to Denver.

Stats leaders:

Chicago Bears

• Passing: Justin Fields 15/29, 282 yards, 4 TD
• Rushing: Khalil Herbert, 10 carries, 76 yards
• Receiving: DJ Moore, 8 catches, 230 yards, 3 TD

Washington Commanders

• Passing: Sam Howell, 37/51, 388 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
• Rushing: Sam Howell, 4 carries, 19 yards
• Receiving: Logan Thomas, 9 catches, 77 yards, 1 TD

Washington (2-3) lost a third consecutive game, this time struggling with missed tackles and blown coverage on defense, while again failing to force a turnover.

Couple that with Howell's interception, and there was a reason the Commanders were booed off the field at halftime by fans who again packed FedEx Field for another sellout.

Their second-half comeback bid fell short, stunted by Logan Thomas fumbling, a later drive stalling in the red zone and Joey Slye missing a 46-yard field goal attempt with five minutes left.

Washington got as close as 10 points, but couldn't end its losing streak and keep Chicago's going.l

Scoring summary

What did they say?

Bears quarterback Justin Fields: "The feeling that we all had after the game is a feeling that you just never want it to end," Fields said. "Just proud of the way all the guys game out and played."

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore: "This morning I was nervous - out of this world nervous. I guess that was my body telling me that we were about to go off."

Bears cornerback Greg Stroman: "We harped all week on finishing. We do great things as a team. We played well for three strong quarters last week, so just were building off that and that was the message: Build off that and finish."

What next?

The Bears welcome the Minnesota Vikings (1-3) to Chicago on Sunday in Week Six, while the Commanders are on the road against the Atlanta Falcons (2-2).

Week Five continues when the New York Giants face the Miami Dolphins live on Sky Sports NFL, with coverage under way from 5pm ahead of kickoff at 6pm, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles against the Los Angeles Rams and Sunday Night Football between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.