Chicago Bears huge receiver Darnell Mooney labored himself into place to make the essential fourth-down play Thursday night time at Soldier Field.
He reduce previous Washington Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste towards the best sideline after which turned again towards quarterback Justin Fields’ go close to the aim line.
But as Mooney regarded up towards the soccer, he briefly misplaced it within the stadium lights and bobbled it as he started to fall down over the road. As Mooney secured the catch, St-Juste introduced him down on the 1-yard line.
For the third time within the nationally televised sport, the Commanders stopped the Bears inside 5 yards of the top zone, and Mooney’s 3-yard catch on fourth-and-4 with 30 seconds to play was the ultimate dagger in a 12-7 loss to the Commanders.
The Bears put up a season-high 392 web yards and but managed just one second-half landing, a failure that meant a number of offensive gamers spoke of remorse in a dissatisfied locker room after the sport.
Mooney instructed reporters in regards to the challenge with the lights but additionally took full duty for arising brief.
“I’ve just got to close the game for us,” Mooney mentioned. “If I wish to be that participant, I wish to be that man for our crew, I’ve acquired to make that play for positive.
“Losses are tough anyway. So this one is very, very, very tough. If I catch the damn ball, we don’t have to worry about this.”
Fields mentioned there was blame to go round for the red-zone points, and he repeatedly used one phrase — “finish.”
“If (Mooney) didn’t bobble it, it probably would’ve been a touchdown for real,” Fields mentioned. “That just goes back to finish the catch, finish the throw, finish the run, finish the blocks. As an offense, we’ve got to finish. I’ve got to be better. We’ve all got to be better.”
On the Bears’ second drive, Fields’ passes to Cole Kmet and Dante Pettis sparked a march that reached first-and-goal on the 6. But on second-and-goal from the 5, Fields threw a go to Kmet that appeared to bounce off a helmet, and Commanders defensive deal with Jonathan Allen intercepted it.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus mentioned afterward that his gamers wanted to knock the ball down when it popped within the air.
In the second quarter, Khalil Herbert’s 64-yard run introduced the Bears to the Commanders 6, and a Commanders penalty for too many males on the sphere gave the Bears first-and-goal on the 3. After Herbert was stopped for no achieve, Fields and tight finish Ryan Griffin failed to attach on a second-down play that actually irked Fields.
Griffin was huge open ultimately zone behind James Smith-Williams, however Fields threw a go past Griffin’s outstretched hand.
“He probably could have ran a little bit more, but he’s wide open,” Fields mentioned. “I’ve got to hit that. I’m an NFL quarterback. I’ve got to hit that.”
After a Fields scramble for two yards, Herbert was stuffed for no achieve on fourth-and-goal from the 1.
“I think the linebacker was able to come over the top,” middle Sam Mustipher mentioned. “That’s really what it comes down to — all of us finishing with our feet in the end zone, and normally we’ll score if that’s the case.”
Those missed alternatives resulted in a 3-0 Commanders halftime edge. While the Bears took a second-half lead on a 40-yard landing go from Fields to Pettis, the Commanders regained the lead on a landing following Velus Jones Jr.’s muffed punt.
The Bears’ final red-zone alternative got here after Commanders kicker Joey Slye missed a 48-yard field-goal try huge left with 1 minute, 54 seconds to play, giving the Bears a major alternative to interrupt a two-game dropping streak.
Fields made a number of massive performs, none higher than a weaving 39-yard scramble to get to the 5-yard line. After a 1-yard Fields scramble, Smith-Williams acquired a hand on a go to Mooney, and it fell incomplete. Fields threw one other incompletion to Pettis ultimately zone that Fields thought ought to have been known as for go interference.
And then got here the Mooney play.
In his postgame information convention, Eberflus mentioned he thought Fields, who accomplished 14 of 27 passes for 190 yards with a landing and an interception and was sacked 5 instances, took a step ahead. He mentioned Fields’ means to get the Bears into scoring place on the ultimate drive confirmed enchancment. He talked about Fields’ toughness as he performed by means of a number of hits and a left shoulder challenge that Fields reaggravated.
But Fields wasn’t taking comfort in these ideas because the Bears head right into a mini-bye week with an Oct. 24 Monday night time sport in opposition to the New England Patriots up subsequent.
“Everybody is mad,” Fields mentioned. “Nobody is completely happy about this loss. It’s simply we at all times get instructed that we’re virtually there, we’re virtually there. Like me personally, I’m bored with being virtually there, bored with being simply this shut. I really feel like I’ve been listening to it for therefore lengthy now.
“At the end of the day all you can do is get back to work. That’s the only reaction you have.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com