Looking for a bounce-back game, Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes didn’t get what he sought. Instead, Forbes got benched in the third quarter after struggling for a second straight week.
Sunday, Forbes was a victim of the air assault between Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver AJ Brown. On Thursday, it was Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.
While Moore scored three touchdowns over veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller, Forbes got scorched for two big catches by the Bears star wide receiver.
The first catch was on the Bears’ third possession. Moore beat Forbes with a curl route that created separation. Forbes closed the gap and missed an arm tackle that sprung Moore for a 39-yard gain. Moore scored his second touchdown five plays later.
Later in the third quarter, Moore hit the same curl route on the rookie. Forbes tried to make a play on the ball but missed. Moore caught the pass and once again turned up the field for a 32-yard reception officially before referees ruled him out of bounds.
However, it appeared Moore may not have stepped out of bounds and should have scored another touchdown.
Nonetheless, the play got Emmanuel Forbes benched with the Commanders trailing 27-14.
After the 40-20 loss, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera explained Forbes benching.
“The thought process was he was struggling,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “We were hoping he would bounce back from last week, and you know, we felt it was time to make a move.”
It’s worth noting that Fuller got beat by the same route for Moore’s third touchdown that put a dagger in the game late in the fourth quarter. Fuller also gambled for the football, whiffing to allow Moore to break free.
Forbes has struggled in three of the first five games of his NFL career. AJ Brown scored two touchdowns, both on Forbes. After Brown’s touchdown late in the fourth quarter, a dejected Forbes went to the sideline, showing his frustration.
During this week, Forbes appeared to deactivate his X (formerly Twitter) account. The Mississippi State product is in danger of getting his snaps reduced. He’ll have 11 days to flush the bad game out of his situation and get back on the field in a Week 6 clash against the Atlanta Falcons.
