Bears - Commanders: 5 players to watch on NFL Thursday Night Football | Fields, Howell, McLaurin, Robinson
The Chicago Bears head to Washington seeking their first win but they will have to get past a Commanders team who have had a surprising start to the season.
The NFL took a chance on their Week 5 Thursday Night game putting the Chicago Bears and the Washington Commanders in the spotlight to kickoff the weekend slate. There aren’t a whole lot of people who will consider this must see TV outside of the Windy City and the Nation’s Capital, but there will be some players looking to shine under the lights.
Whether it’s for fantasy, gambling or pure love for the sport, we know you will be tuning in, and there are a handful of stars to keep an eye on tonight from FedEx Field. Here is your star watch for Week 5′s edition of Thursday Night Football.
Justin Fields
It has been far from a dream start for Chicago’s third year quarterback. This was a season in which he and the Bears were supposed to break out and proclaim themselves relevant in the NFC, but that has yet to happen. Time is already starting to run out for the Bears who are 0-4 going into Thursday night’s matchup with the Commanders. Fields is actually coming off the best passing game of his career. He hit his first 16 passes against the Broncos and was 16/17 with 231 yards and 3 TDs as the Bears led 21-7 at half.
He and Chicago had a collapse of epic proportions in the second half, blowing a 21 point third quarter lead. You can’t place all the blame on Fields’ shoulders but his fumble that was scooped and scored didn’t make things any easier. Chicago still had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth quarter, but his failed 4th down conversion with under 3:00 left opened the door for the Broncos to take the advantage with a late field goal. Fields and the Bears had one more chance to tie or take the lead but his interception with half a minute to go gave the Broncos their first win and kept the Bears winless on the season.
Sam Howell
The former Tar Heel was handed the keys to the car in D.C. after an impressive preseason. The second year quarterback who played just one game last year surprised everyone around the league with his poise, accuracy and winning mentality. He led the Commanders to wins in each of the first two games, but then threw four interceptions in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills.
There were many questioning if the Commanders after Week 3, but Howell and the Commanders bounced back last week against the Eagles, taking one of the best teams in the league to overtime. He threw for 290 yards and had the game tying TD pass to Jahan Dotson as time expired. They would end up losing the game, but making a statement to the rest of the league that this team is going to give you a fight for all 12 rounds.
Matt Eberflus
Not quite a player, but this is definitely someone to keep an eye on Thursday Night. If there is one thing a coach of a winless team doesn’t need, it’s controversy off the field. Unfortunately for Matt Eberflus and Chicago that is exactly the situation the Bears coach finds himself in. The situation with Chase Claypool escalated last week when Eberflus told the receiver that Bears traded for last year to stay home after comments he made about the team and coaching decisions. Claypool will be a healthy scratch again this week.
Justin Fields has also questioned the coaching staff, and essentially blamed them for his “robotic” play. The situation with Fields has been cleared up, but that won’t mean much if the Bears don’t start winning. Last week against the Broncos, after giving up a 21 point lead, the Bears had a chance to kick a field goal and take a three point lead with under 3:00 to go, but instead Eberflus went for it on 4th and 1, and Fields ended up getting stopped. A thunderstorm of criticism rained down on Eberflus for the late decision, and it’s no surprise that the second year coach is already on the hot seat.
Terry McLaurin
The Commanders No. 1 receiver has yet to take off through the first month of the season. He suffered an ankle injury late in preseason, and may not have come into Week 1 in tip top shape, but he has been getting progressively better each week.
Remember he is still working on building chemistry with first year starter Sam Howell. Last week he had his best game of the season, catching 8 balls on 10 targets for 86 yards. This week the Commanders’ other top WRs Jahan Dotson and Curtis Samuel are listed as questionable, while means it could be a big night for McLaurin.
Brian Robinson Jr.
If you need a guy to root for in the NFL, it has to be Brian Robinson Jr. Last year he was shot twice in the months leading up to his rookie season, and made a miraculous recovery, debuting right around this time last year. His entrance song on his debut in FedEx Field is one of the hardest, coldest videos you will see.
He has established himself as the first choice running back in Washington, but has yet to have a 100 yard game. Under the lights, at home with a chance to get back to .500 on the year it might be his time to shine against a Bears team that is giving up 115 yards per game.