After a season-long 14 games without a win, the Chicago Bears have won again. Wide receiver D.J. Moore was the man of the match against the Washington Commanders.

In the Thursday Night Game in Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season, quarterback Justin Fields and Co. beat the Washington Commanders and inflicted the third defeat in a row on the team from the East Coast.

In the 40:20 victory over Washington, wide receiver D.J. Moore in particular attracted attention. The pass receiver, who came to Chicago from Carolina in a trade before the season, caught eight balls for 230 yards and three touchdowns.

His quarterback also impressed. Fields only completed 15 of 29 passes, just over half of them, but they resulted in 282 yards and four scores. He also ran for 57 yards on eleven attempts. His counterpart Sam Howell recorded a whopping 388 passing yards (37/51) and two touchdowns, but also made an interception.

Chicago took the lead on the very first drive of the game, Fields finding Moore in the end zone with a 20-yard pass. Two more scoring drives – a field goal and another touchdown – created an early 17-point deficit for the Commanders, for whom the rushing game played no role all evening (ten carries for 29 yards). By the time the whistle blew, the Bears had pulled away to 27-3.

Thanks to Fields and Moore: Chicago Bears defeat Washington Commanders

In the second half, Washington also made its offensive claims, and in the third quarter Howell scored his first touchdown of the evening with a two-yard pass to tight end Logan Thomas (nine receptions, 77 yards). Shortly afterwards, wide receiver Curtis Samuel cut the deficit to 20:30 and the game was open again.

With just under five minutes to go, Washington had the chance to reduce the lead to 23:30 with a field goal, but kicker Joe Slye failed from 46 yards. In the following drive, Fields found Moore for the third time, who carried the ball for more than 50 yards into the end zone. Another Bears field goal made the final score 40-20.

Head coach Matt Eberflus’ team now has a record of 1-4, while the Commanders are 2-3. In Week 6, Chicago will take on the Minnesota Vikings and Washington will meet the Atlanta Falcons.