Shortly before the opening kickoff last night, news spread that all-time-great Dick Butkus died. He played all nine of his NFL seasons in Chicago. There was a sense at that point -- a faint sense -- that the Bears might storm out of the gates. Winless and with almost nothing to lose, they chose to be on offense first, and Justin Fields proceeded to sling it to his two top receivers. The only player to catch any of his passes on that opening drive was D.J. Moore.
In hindsight, maybe it was meant to be. A proud franchise delivering for a fallen hometown hero. A team that, on paper, might still be good enough to reach the postseason.
Of course, they also struggled for most of the second half, much like they did four days earlier in a disastrous loss to Denver. Whatever talent and adrenaline and effective game-planning they came in with, they nearly blew their second consecutive 21+ point second-half lead, as Washington was 23 yards away from cutting the lead to three points with six minutes remaining. At times, these Bears are oh-so-close to figuring things out. And at other times, they look like one of the league's worst squads.
In the box score, Fields, Moore, and Cole Kmet accounted for nearly all of Chicago's fantasy points. After a lukewarm start to the season, Kmet has enjoyed one of the best five-day TE stretches in years. The former second-round draft pick was a trendy target this summer. I didn't trust him because of presumed low volume. But he's now on pace for a career-high 78 catches. That kind of attention is key for a guy who historically has been more boom-bust.
As for Moore, my goodness. And this is not a joke: As I wrote that previous sentence, he caught that late 56-yard TD pass. So I'll amend "my goodness" and instead insert a series of expletives on behalf of all managers who are playing against him this week, as well as happy expletives for those who started him. Moore will wrap up his night with 49 fantasy points. He's now on a season-long pace for a 92-1,805-17 receiving line.
I've written this repeatedly since the spring, and probably will write it dozens more times this next decade: The Bears trading down in the 2023 draft was brilliant. What the Panthers did was . . . well, it's too soon to know. But it could take years before Carolina can claim even a partial victory, and that assumes Bryce Young ends up being the best QB in this rookie class. So far, that's a fairly big assumption.
Also notably, Roshon Johnson exited early with a concussion, and then Khalil Herbert followed him to the sidelines in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Despite earning 20+ touches on Sunday, Herbert looked poised to pull off a rare Sunday-to-Thursday double bonanza (two elite performances). Instead, it's a case of "what might have been," as the short-handed Bears were forced to give 27-year-old journeyman Khari Blasingame eight carries. Obviously, keep close tabs on Herbert's and Johnson's health this next week. If only Johnson can go in Week 6, he could reassert himself in this offense.
For Washington, their defense was in trouble from the get-go. They were on the field for nearly 11 minutes in the first quarter, and then about eight-and-a-half minutes in the second quarter. They were a popular streamer this week. They've now surrendered 33+ points in each of their last four contests. It's fair to wonder if the troubled Falcons (their Week 6 opponent) has enough game tape to finally get their passing game going.
On offense, Brian Robinson's four catches kept him afloat for fantasy managers. I've long viewed him as a TD-or-bust option. If the Commanders continue to play from behind this season, maybe we'll see more balanced stat lines for the second-year RB. Keep in mind, Robinson caught 35 balls in his final collegiate campaign, but only 14 in his first 16 NFL games. If last night is a sign of things to come, Robinson would be a massive buy-low option.
Elsewhere, I whiffed on Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson. Credit the Bears' D, which frequently forced Sam Howell to throw underneath. As a result, this turned out to be one of the best fantasy days ever for Logan Thomas. It was also Curtis Samuel's best showing of the season. The knock on Thomas has long been his lack of durability. When active, the 32-year-old can still produce. But I wouldn't overreact here. Playing from behind, Howell, took what Chicago gave him. More often than not, McLaurin and/or Dotson and/or Robinson will get their points. This was an unusual situation where the #4 and #5 offensive options (or #4 and #6, if Antonio Gibson is somehow #5) stuffed the stat sheet.
And as mentioned yesterday, I picked up Sam Howell more than two weeks ago just for this game. And when the first quarter ended, I somehow found myself wishing I'd picked up Zach Wilson instead. (Desperate times in a competitive 14-team league.) But Howell came through, thanks largely to a more forgiving second-half Bears D.
By most accounts, Howell looks like a long-term NFL starter. He's barely 23 years old and has absorbed an incredible 29 sacks, putting him on pace to smash David Carr's single-season record. He should remain a deeper-league streamer most weeks, and clearly he has the pop to do much more. However, if you're in a superflex/two-QB league, be wary of his fantasy playoff schedule: @Rams, @Jets, and 49ers. And if you compete in Week 18, Howell will face off against the Cowboys. Temper expectations, and that goes for every Washington skill player.
Finally, the closest-score competition. Well, I couldn't have been more wrong with my pick. Did anyone do better? Yes, I believe almost all of you did better. And one of you stood above the pack. Sergei McNulty is the first person of the season to predict the exact final score: 40-20. Most of us had Washington winning, and many who picked the Bears generally predicted narrow victories. Sergei went his own way, and it turned out to be the only way to go.
Speaking of "way to go," way to go, Sergei. I've added you to the Spreadsheet of Fame, or the Excel(lent) Champions, or whatever we end up calling it.