Rome Odunze
(AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

First & Long: It’s Rome’s Turn, Bears Preparing to Face Jayden Daniels, Packers Linked to Myles Garrett

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterOctober 26, 2024

The Bears hit the road to face the Commanders on Sunday in the first NFL meeting between Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels. The NFL is hoping a rivalry develops and it should. The better quarterback head-to-head matchups usually take place in the AFC so the game is special to both organizations, their fans, and of course, the NFL. The NFC rivalries seem almost generational and I can name about five off the top of my head:

  1. Roger Staubach vs. Fran Tarkenton
  2. Troy Aikman vs. Steve Young or Brett Favre
  3. Joe Montana vs. Phil Simms
  4. Aaron Rodgers against any Bears quarterback
  5. Sid Luckman vs. Sammy Baugh

There are others, but none with any longevity.

Willams has a chance to develop a rivalry with Daniels if the Washington rookie plays Sunday. A Williams-Jordan Love battle royale also lies on the horizon.

The competition between the two first-year quarterbacks is sure to be ripe with hot takes before and after Sunday’s tilt, but the rookie who may have the most profound impact on Sunday’s game is Rome Odunze. D.J. Moore, Cole Kmet, D’Andre Swift, and Keenan Allen have had their moments this year, but with two weeks of preparation, look for a breakout game by Odunze. He and Williams will eventually become one of the NFL’s better quarterback-receiver tandems, and Sunday offers a perfect, national television setting to light that candle. Washington’s defense is exploitable, and the two should take advantage. Williams and Odunze are already trending that way.

  • Odunze has a 15.1% target share, a 30.6% air-yard share, 1.37 yards per run route (YPRR), and an 18% first-read share. He also has six red zone targets in Chicago’s last five games.
  • Williams has earmarked Odunze with deep balls 10 times, though they’ve only connected twice. The success rate is suboptimal, but it does mean Odunze is getting open deep.
  • Washington is fifth in the NFL in two-high rate (53.6%). Against two-high, Odunze is fourth in targets per run route (19%), third in YPRR (1.56), and third in first-read share (22.9%) among the Bears main four pass catchers.
  • Quarterbacks have a 107.4 passer rating against the Commanders, which is only lower than the Panthers and Jaguars. Williams torched both of those defenses.

Two weeks off also allows a team to correct any existing flaws.

This is a homecoming game for Williams. He and Odunze have been in lockstep since the day they were drafted, and all signs point to a breakout game by the pair.

Rollcall Sha Boogie, check check it out.

Bears News & Notes

There’s a Flag…On the Play

The Velus Jones era in Chicago is over. It’s tough to imagine GM Ryan Poles making a future draft pick that turns out any worse.

Scout Team

  1. Daniels was a limited participant in practice on Friday, so his availability against the Bears will be a game-time decision.
  2. Washington decided against elevating quarterback Sam Hartman from its practice squad. Marcus Mariota will start if Daniels cannot play, and Jeff Driskel is also on the team’s 53-man roster.
  3. Rookie tight end Ben Sinnott caught his first career touchdown pass on a play called the “Taylor Swift.” Why is it called that? The Chiefs won last year’s Super Bowl in overtime by running the same play.
  4. The Commanders have been connected to Browns CB Denzel Ward in trade rumors.
  5. Washington defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. said he has been impressed by Williams so far.
  6. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn rotates his captains before each game, a decision that is unique in comparison to other teams. This week’s captains are guard Nick Allegretti and safeties Jeremy Chinn and Jeremy Reaves.

Film Room

It’s Rome’s turn.

Northern Exposure

Around the NFL

The NFL has been accused of tilting its scales in favor of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Roquan Smith was fined for a hip-drop tackle that ended the season of WR Chris Godwin.

Garrett and Maxx Crosby are unlikely to be traded ($) according to Diana Russini of The Athletic, so everybody just cool your jets.

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa will return to game action Sunday, but he’ll be doing so in his normal helmet without a Guardian Cap.

LASIK took a swipe at NFL referees after a controversial missed penalty.

Two-Minute Drill

I’ll never forget the image of Walter Payton sitting on the sidelines after Washington beat the Bears 21-17 in the 1987 divisional playoff. It was such a powerful moment that the photo made the back page of the Chicago Sun-Times the next morning (if memory serves). It was the final game of Payton’s storied career, and he gained 88 yards on 18 carries though he did not score. Neal Anderson replaced the retired superstar the following season.

The two teams have been rivals since playing to a 7-7 tie back in 1932. Chicago is 25-27-1 all-time against Washington but has lost eight of the 10 previous meetings between the two. The Bears’ biggest win against the Redskins/Commanders was a 73-0 win on December 8, 1940, that crowned George Halas and his charges NFL champions. Luckman completed three of four passes for 88 yards in the win, while Bill Osmanski, Harry Clarke, Ray Nolting, and Joe Maniaci carried the ball a combined 37 times for 310 rushing yards.

Washington got a measure of revenge two years later. They beat an undefeated Chicago squad by the score of 14-6 in the NFL championship game. The Bears were coached by Hunk Anderson and Luke Johnsos on that day because Halas was serving in the U.S. Navy.

Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust

  1. Four running backs have rushed for 150 or more yards in a single game this season. Derrick Henry has done it twice (151, 199); the others are Josh Jacobs (151), Joe Mixon (159), and Saquon Barkley (176).
  2. There have been three games in NFL history where a QB threw 5+ TD passes on fewer than 25 pass attempts while also rushing for 50+ yards, all by the same quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
  3. Uncrustables are the favorite post-practice and halftime snacks of most NFL teams during the week. At least 80,000 are eaten each year.

May I Have More Moore, Please?

Moore had his signature game when the Bears faced the Commanders last season with 230 receiving yards with three scores as Chicago trounced Washington 40-20. The veteran receiver was targeted 10 times by Justin Fields, catching eight, including a 56-yard scoring pass that was all Moore. He had nearly 53 yards on his own after catching the pass.  The win snapped Chicago’s 14-game losing streak dating back to 2022.

From the Podium

  • “I think [our success] is a testament to how we prepare going into the week. We’re very regimented guys. All of us are close, so we do extra work together. It has a lot to do with that and then the coaches [preparing] us as if we’re starters even though we’re not.” – Hicks
  • “Terrell [Smith] has done a lot for us in the past. He’s started for us. He’s played well for us, and we’re expecting he’ll be in there some and rotating a little bit. So it’s going to be exciting for him to be able to play in the secondary. He’s made a lot of impactful plays for us in the past.” – Eberflus

 

Photo of Michael Canter Michael CanterOctober 26, 2024
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