The Washington Commanders' Week 8 home matchup against the Chicago Bears has been flexed from 1 p.m. on Oct. 27 to 4:25 p.m. on the same day, the NFL officially announced Tuesday afternoon.
The matchup will be highlighted by No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels squaring off against No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams for the first time in their professional careers. Both players have gotten out to exceptional starts to their rookie seasons. Daniels, who has already become a favorite to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, is performing among the league's best quarterbacks this season, ranking ninth in passing yards (1,404), first in completion percentage (75.3%), third in QBR (73.7) and fourth in passer rating (107.1). He became the first quarterback in league history to pass for at least 1,000 yards and rush for at least 250 yards in their first five games.
Williams is not far behind Daniels as far as the stats are concerned, as he has passed for 1,317 yards with nine touchdowns to five interceptions. He has already set or is at least on pace to break several franchise records. He became the fourth rookie quarterback to have four touchdown passes and at least 50 rushing yards in the Bears' blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he was the first Bears quarterback since Cade McCown in 1999 to throw for three touchdowns in a game.
Both Daniels and Williams have propelled their respective teams to success and have them in place to make a playoff run. After dropping the season opener to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington has won four of its last five games and become one of the best offenses in football. They are averaging 29.7 points per game, which ranks third in the NFL, and are fueled by a running game that averages 157.3 yards.
The Bears have had similar success in the last month by scoring at least 24 points in their last three games, all of which were victories. Williams and the Bears are off to a 4-2 start, the best for the franchise since the 2020 season.
