The Washington Redskins fall to 0-3 on the season after being hammered and embarrassed by the Chicago Bears 31-15 on Monday Night Football. The Bears defense was relentless on the night. Through sacks and turnovers, the Redskins dug a hole they couldn’t climb out of it.
1. How The Game Was Won
The Bears defense overmatched the Redskins offense for the first 30 minutes of the game. From the opening drive it was clear who was the superior team. Former Redskins safety and now Chicago Bear, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix got a pick-six off Case Keenum on Washington’s opening drive.
Then the Bears unleashed their pass rush, sacking Keenum four times and rattling the Redskins quarterback. Khalil Mack had two sacks, including a strip sack that helped lead to a 28-0 lead in the second quarter.
Chicago never looked back, despite a second half rally by Washington that ultimately fell short.
2. Case Keenum Had Five Turnovers
For the first two games of the season, Keenum protected the football. The entire Redskins offense protected the football. However, they never faced a defense quite like Chicago’s.
Keenum didn’t have much time to dissect and when he did, he missed throws. Keenum also threw three interceptions, two to Clinton-Dix and another to Kyle Fuller.
The Redskins fought back closing the gap to 28-15, however, Keenum attempted a baffling goal line dive from the 15-yard line that resulted in him losing the football for his fifth turnover of the game. Monday was Keenum’s first five-turnover game of his NFL career.
3. Redskins Defense Had No Answer for Mitchell Trubisky
The Bears were looking to get 2017 second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky back on track after two subpar performances to start the season. The Redskins defense happily obliged.
Trubisky was 25-of-31 passing for 231 yards and three first-half touchdowns and one interception. Chicago was an efficient 8-of-13 on third down conversions.
The Bears torched the heavily-zoned Redskins with crossing routes and underneath throws. The pass rush struggled on crucial plays to get to Trubisky and it was a lot of pitch-and-catch.
4. Player of the Game
Taylor Gabriel. The Chicago Bears wide receiver was a nightmare for the Redskins secondary, especially in the red zone. He caught six passes on seven targets for 75 yards and three touchdowns, including this amazing body-turning catch in the end zone.
Gabriel also made history before he exited the game in the second half with a concussion.
5. Redskins Continue to Be Plagued By Penalties
The Redskins committed nine penalties for 61 yards, including three on the same drive by the defense that led to Chicago’s first offensive touchdown. A Josh Norman pass interference call in the end zone helped set up Chicago’s second as the Redskins fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter.
The Bears also had nine penalties, however, they’re a good team and can overcome them against a subpar team. The Redskins are a subpar team, and they cannot overcome nine penalties per game, which is what they are averaging through three weeks.
