Takeaways from the Chicago Bears' afternoon game against the Washington Commanders

Bears Game Day Live: TJ Edwards talks the Bears defensive opportunity vs. Washington

TJ Edwards loves when the Bears' defense gets a chance to prove how good it is. Cassie Carlson caught up with Edwards this week about showing out against the Commanders.

Oh. Oh no.

The Chicago Bears fell on the final play.

The Commanders came out strong. Jayden Daniels was in control from the start. The Bears' defense did all that it could.

Case in point: Washington had 300 yards of offense at the start of the third quarter; The Bears had 93 yards of total offense at the nine-minute mark of the third quarter.

But, the Bears were never truly out of it and made a game of at the end.

It all led to heartbreak.

Here are our takeaways from the Week 8 game in Landover, Maryland.

The Bears came out extra flat

Caleb Williams' statline at halftime reflected the entire performance as a whole: 3 of 8 passing for 33 yards.

It wasn't just the lack of production, it was the lack of attempts. Washington just controlled the football and kept the Bears from gaining momentum.

That momentum was at an all-time high in London. It evaporated during the bye week, and the Bears spent the better part of three quarters trying to find it again.

A good reason why it never existed to start was because the Bears didn't have anything up their sleeves offensively.

Against the Panthers and Jaguars, the Bears had creative plays and attacked the middle of the field with different throws at different receivers. The Bears attacked Carolina with DJ Moore; The Bears attacked Jacksonville with Keenan Allen. Those plays didn't shine through against the Commanders.

The Bears woke up at the end of the third with a 56-yard touchdown run by D'Andre Swift. It was a well-designed play that ended in a score and showed off the big-play ability Swift has.

But, it took nearly three quarters to get that play on the field.

The Chicago Bears defense was ready for Week 8

With all the struggles the Bears' offense had, it had a chance to take a lead in the fourth quarter.

Chalk that up to another defensive stand.

It wasn't the kind of defensive output Bears fans are used to. They didn't force a turnover, which was a way the Bears have cultivated momentum for themselves in the past.

There were some moments where the Bears' offense pinned itself back on its heels. One such moment was the failed fourth and one where the Bears tossed a screen to Moore that was blown up at the line of scrimmage and forced a turnover on downs. That gave Washington the ball at midfield.

Still, the bottom line was the Bears' defense didn't break.

There were so many opportunities for the Bears' offense. That was thanks to the Bears' defense.

It was not a good game for the offensive line

In the third quarter, the Bears converted a third and 2 on a pass to DJ Moore.

The play was called back by an illegal formation on Darnell Wright. That penalty was followed by a false start by Teven Jenkins.

Washington's defensive front is talented. Da'Ron Payne and Jer'Zahn Newton provided consistent pressure and the Bears were never able to get into a rhythm in the passing game nor did they ever establish the run.

Swift's long touchdown run was a great play call that busted through. It took forever to get to that point. Washington was making life difficult for the Bears, and it made matters worse when starting left tackle Braxton Jones left the game in the second quarter and was ruled out with a knee injury. Jenkins was injured in the fourth quarter, too, holding his left knee.

That put rookie third round pick Kiran Amegadije in at left tackle and Bill Murray at guard. That was just a rough day at the office for the Bears' front.