Washington Commanders Win ‘Thursday Night Football’ Snoozefest

Posted on: October 14, 2022, 06:38h. 

Last updated on: October 14, 2022, 02:04h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

In a game marked by errors and poor performances from both quarterbacks, the Washington Commanders earned their second victory of the season in a 12-7 win over the Chicago Bears.

Washington Commanders vs. Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. (12) fumbles a kickoff return as Washington Commanders cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields (40) defends. The mistake proved costly for the Bears, as Washington took advantage of it to win the game. (Image: Reuters)

It wasn’t a pretty win, but it gave Thursday Night Football (TNF) the first touchdown the broadcast has seen in the past two weeks.

The snoozer was on track to become one of the slowest games of the year. It was so bad that announcer Al Michaels threatened to retire early and PointsBet settled all under wagers at halftime, ready to find something more interesting to follow.

The game was so slow-moving that it took almost all of two quarters for the first points to get on the board, when a chip-shot field goal put the Commanders up by three. Finally, in the third quarter, a Bears TD became the first for TNF since Week 4.

Trouble in Both Camps

The Bears and Commanders continue to be labeled as the worst teams in the NFL. The matchup supported this, with offenses that looked like they were sleepwalking throughout the game.

The Bears, led by QB Justin Fields, got into the red zone twice in the first half, but failed to score points on either trip. Fields threw for 190 yards and completed a modest 14 of 27. He added the third-quarter TD, overcoming a first-quarter interception.

The first trip to the end zone ended with that interception. The second, on a fourth-and-inches attempt, couldn’t capitalize on the power of explosive running back Khalil Herbert. The Commanders’ D-line held and the Bears were stopped cold.

The meeting highlighted the shortcomings of both teams’ quarterbacks. On the Commanders’ side, Wentz threw for just 99 yards, completing 12 of 22. The good news is that he didn’t throw any interceptions. The bad news is that he didn’t throw any TDs.

Fields’ best play would come in the third quarter, when he threw 40 yards for Dante Pettis’s TD. This gave Chicago the 7-3 lead and a glimmer of hope. Although he completed a few difficult passes throughout the game, Fields couldn’t develop any momentum to keep drives alive.

Commanders Get a Break

It was in the fourth quarter that Bears return specialist Velus Jones made a serious mistake by fumbling a punt return. This gave the ball to Washington just six yards from the end zone.

The Commanders took full advantage of the error. Running back Brian Robinson – still recovering after being shot in an attempted carjacking – scored a touchdown to make it 12-7. Despite the Commanders missing a 2-point conversion attempt, that would be enough for the win.

Chicago had a chance for redemption, but couldn’t get it done. A long run by Fields put them in the red zone to try to turn the score around, but they missed all four of their scoring attempts. On the final play of the game, Fields looked to wide receiver Darnell Money in the end zone, but the veteran player failed to bring down the ball.

Under Bettors Rejoice

The trend of unders hitting during this NFL season continued on Thursday night, although almost no one expected this game to be so far off the 38 total. Still, those who backed the under and took Washington won some extra weekend spending money.

https://twitter.com/PointsBetUSA/status/1580732348965871616

The Bears will try to turn things around when they visit the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football in Week 7. The Commanders, meanwhile, will face a difficult matchup when they host the Green Bay Packers a day earlier. Fortunately, both teams have a lot of time to practice.