The Washington Commanders' offense has seen a meteoric rise over the last two months, going from one of the worst units in 2023 to one of the best this season, even performing at a prolific level in some areas. Their defense, however, has improved at a slower rate.
Still, the Commanders are showing progress on that side of the ball since Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They've gotten closer to the league average in several categories and even managed to improve their turnover production -- a consistent sticking point with defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. Although the level of communication between players needs to keep improving, it's operating at a much more efficient rate compared to the start of the season.
That will be tested against the Chicago Bears, who might not have the same stats as some of the Commanders' previous opponents but do feature a surging offense. No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has turned the unit into one of the highest-scoring groups in the NFL while riding a three-game win streak, averaging 24.7 points per game with 15 touchdowns in their last 13 quarters.
The Commanders are giving Williams, and the Bears' offense, the respect they deserve.
"He's a dynamic quarterback," linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. said of Williams. "[He's] a guy that has a very strong arm, a guy that likes to get out and move around in the pocket. He becomes really dangerous when he can do those type of things."
Williams has been on a tear for the past month since getting off to an uneven start to his career. Since Week 4, Williams leads the NFL in passer rating (122.8) and completion percentage (74.1%). He threw four touchdowns in the Bears' 35-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London while completing 23 of 29 pass attempts.
That kind of performance isn't necessarily surprising to the Commanders' coaching staff.
"The work ethic, the play making ability, it was pretty consistent wherever he went," coach Dan Quinn said of Williams. "And I've probably had a sense he would've done fantastic just about anywhere."
The Commanders have faced quarterbacks with traits similar to Williams' knack for making plays outside the pocket, including Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson. Murray, who had 161 rushing yards in the first three weeks, was held to one carry for three yards against the Commanders; Watson had 14 yards and was sacked seven times the following week; and while Jackson had a strong day through the air with 323 yards, the Commanders held him to his lowest rushing total of the season with 40 yards, 33 of which came on one carry.
Williams, who has 687 passing yards and seven touchdowns with zero interceptions during the Bears' winning streak, will come with his own challenges, but the Commanders are confident in their game plan.
"I think just going against different quarterbacks that we've faced this season has definitely helped us prepare up to this point," cornerback Mike Sainristil said. "Caleb Williams is a good quarterback -- mobile, can throw outside the pocket, can extend plays very well as well ... But I think from the very beginning, just being able to keep him in the pocket and make him play quarterback within the hashes is gonna be big for us."
Though problems still exist for the Commanders' defense, the numbers have gotten better. Over the last three weeks, the unit is eighth in yards allowed (292), fifth in points allowed (16.7), seventh in third down percentage allowed (30.3%) and fourth in passing yards allowed (167).
Williams and the Bears' offense will be a much different test compared to the likes of the Panthers and Browns. They've scored at least 35 points in their last two games with 797 combined yards in those matchups.
So, Whitt knows the Commanders' defense will need to put together another team effort, not just to contain Williams but also D.J. Moore, who had 230 yards and three touchdowns against Washington last season, D'Andre Swift, Keenan Allen and the rest of the Bears' weapons.
"We just have to do a good job," Whitt said. "Because the running back's running well...they run the screens as good as anybody in football, especially with Swift and Moore. So, we have to make sure we do a great job of leveraging those screens."
The Commanders believe they will have the right strategy that will give them the best chance to win.
"We know our game plan and what we're gonna do," cornerback Benjamin St-Juste said Wednesday. "It's just about perfecting the small details to make sure that every single play works."
