Spotlighting the one-win Washington Commanders and the two-win Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football! What could go wrong?!?
Two disjointed offenses who struggle to put points on the board with any semblance of consistency faced off on national television in primetime, and the results were not pretty.
The Commanders eked out an ugly 12-7 at Soldier Field, thanks largely to their defensive efforts and a key special teams play in the late stages of the fourth quarter. Chicago had the ball five yards away from their end zone three separate times and came away with zero points on those drives.
The Commanders, meanwhile, weren’t much better offensively. Quarterback Carson Wentz completed just 12 of 22 passes for an anemic 99 yards. Making matters worse, the 29-year-old suffered a fractured ring finger on his throwing hand during the second quarter (shown above) and is expected to be out four to six weeks.
Taylor Heinicke assumes the role of starting quarterback once again for Washington. The Old Dominion product started 15 games last season after Ryan Fitzpatrick was injured in the season opener.
Food for thought: If Wentz plays at least 70 percent of Washington’s snaps this season, the Commanders owe Indianapolis a 2023 second-round pick. If he does not meet that threshold, the Colts get a third-round pick. Depending on how the team fares with Heinicke behind center, that trade compensation could become hugely relevant down the stretch.
At the time of his injury, Wentz ranks top 10 in passing yards (1,489) and touchdown passes (10). Conversely, Wentz is tied for the third-most interceptions (six) and no quarterback has been sacked (23) more this season. Whether or not he has a chance to improve those numbers will likely have to do with how the offense performs in his absence.
