Change is upon us, and it’s not just autumn. Sure, there’s now a crispness in the morning air, and the leaves are starting to change.
But there’s a much bigger change evident in Chicago. Ben Johnson is
changing the very culture of a once proud, but more recently a dormant, franchise. Hope is in the air.
In spite of costly penalties, some egregiously bad officiating, and less than ideal weather, the Bears found a way yet again. With their new head coach as the guiding light, the Bears are shrugging off every challenge that arises and, pardon my French, bearing the f— down.
This week, that meant a 25-24 last second victory over the Washington Commanders in suburban Maryland. And after that crushing Hail Mary loss in the same venue last year, this one was extra sweet.
Let’s get to this week’s game balls.
Offense Game Ball: RB D’Andre Swift
This is the game that the team has been waiting for. And frankly, what we saw was the opposite of what would have been expected given the stats and rankings heading into Monday Night Football.
The Commanders had the best rushing attack in the league and the Bears had the worst rushing defense (in terms of YPC) in the league. Seemed as if the story would be the Washington rushing attack, right?
Wrong. At the end of the night, it was as if the roles had been reversed. D’Andre Swift had his best game as a Chicago Bear: 14 carries, 108 yards rushing (7.7 YPC), two catches, 67 yards receiving, and one 55-yard touchdown. He led the team in both rushing and receiving.
Washington’s highly touted rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt was a different story, putting in one of his worst games of the season: 17 carries, 61 yards (3.6 YPC), one 7 yard reception, and a fumble lost. It feels like it’s been a while since the Bears had this large of an advantage from their backfield.
Defense Game Ball: LB TJ Edwards
I’d like to give it to both Edwards and Edmunds here, as the duo was one of the primary factors in shutting down the Commanders high octane rushing offense. Edwards’ return to the lineup was huge in that regard, and he totaled the second-most tackles on the team (nine total, four solo). He’s arguably the Bears’ best LB in run support and it showed on Monday night.
The only player to best Edwards’ total tackles number? Edmunds, who had 13 total tackles (four solo). He’s been solid most of the season, but I gave the slight nod to Edwards just because I believe his presence in run support helped elevated Edmunds game even more-so. And it certainly didn’t hurt to have Kyler Gordon back.
The Bears’ run defense has struggled all season, and this was just the second time that Edwards has played in 2025. That’s no coincidence. The Commanders came into the game with the best rushing attack in the league, and the Bears limited them to just 124 total yards on the ground. That’s Chicago’s best number of the season. Yes, holding the opposing rushing attack to under 100 yards would be optimal, but this was a big improvement.
Edwards received a grade of 89.0 from Pro Football Focus for his performance against the Commanders, the highest mark for any player on either team.
Special Teams Game Ball: K Jake Moody
He wasn’t perfect, but new Bears’ kicker Jake Moody came up big when it mattered most.
Moody went 4/5 on field goals and 1/1 on extra points. Of course, no kick was bigger than his 38 yarder as time expired to give the Bears the 25-24 victory. Given his struggles in San Francisco earlier this year, it’s not hard to imagine how good this must have felt for the former Michigan Wolverine.
It’s not easy to join a new team mid-season, get activated the day of the game, kick in the swirling wind and rain on the road, and come out victorious with a clutch kick. Moody did all of that. Major props are well-deserved.
Bryan Orenchuk and myself will have plenty to say this week on a new episode of Bears Over Beers. We’ll be live on Wednesday night on the 2nd City Gridiron YouTube channel, or available on demand via your favorite podcasting platform after. Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms.
Who would have received your game balls? Let us know in the comments section below.
