Chicago Bears (4-2) at Washington Commanders (5-2)

Where: Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD.

To start: 15:25

TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson)

Radio: ESPN AM-1000 (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Jason McKie)

Compass (Chris Carrino, Brian Baldinger)

Spanish Radio: Latino Mix 93.5 (Omar Ramos, Mateo Moreno)

Line: 2 1/2 odds bears, 43 1/2 over/under

Bears in SI Pick: Bears 26, Commanders 20

Sherry: Washington leads 27-25-1 in the 54th general meeting. The Bears have won two of their last three meetings, including the last two in Washington last year, 40-20. Before those three, Washington had won seven in a row. The away team won six of the last seven games in this series.

Coaches: Bears coach Matt Eberflus is in his third season and is 14-26, including 1-1 against the Commanders. Eberflus’ teams are ahead 3-16 away and 1-1 in the following weeks.

Commanders coach Dan Quinn is 51-46 in six seasons in the NFL and is in his first season as Commanders coach. He led the Atlanta Falcons to Super Bowl LI and was their coach from 2015-20. Quinn and Jim Caldwell were Eberflus finalists for the Bears job in 2022, which is when Eberflus was hired. In addition to being the head coach of the Falcons, Quinn was previously the defensive coordinator in Seattle and Dallas.

Teams: Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the draft, against the likely injured No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels. The Bears are trying to win their fourth straight and are on their longest winning streak under Eberflus. For the first three-game winning streak under Eberflus. They beat the Rams, the Panthers, and two weeks ago, they beat Jacksonville in London. The Bears defense has allowed a maximum of 21 points on 12 opponents, while Williams has thrown nine touchdown passes to four different receivers in the last four games, including three to Cole Kmet, three to DJ Moore, two to Keenan Allen and one to Roma. Odunze.

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The Commanders are coming off a 40-7 rout of Carolina in which Daniels played just 10 games and suffered a rib injury. His status will be announced before the game on Sunday. Marcus Mariota finished the game and completed 18 of 23 passes for 205 yards with two touchdowns and rushed for 34 yards on 11 attempts. The Commanders lost 30-23 to Baltimore the week before.

Stat Leaders: Williams completed 130 of 199 passes for 1,317 yards with nine TDs and five interceptions for an 88.7 passer rating. D’Andre Swift leads the Bears in rushing with 325 yards on 91 attempts (3.6 yard average) and three TDs. DJ Moore leads the Bears in receptions with 31 and receiving yards with 314. TJ Edwards leads the Bears with 47 points. Gervon Dexter leads the Bears defense with four interceptions and Jaylon Johnson has a team-high two interceptions. Tyrique Stevenson and Johnson share the team lead in pass breakups with five points each.

Daniels completed 127 of 168 games, shooting an NFL-best 75.6%. He has 1,410 yards, six TDs and two interceptions. WR Terry McLaurin leads the Commanders with 35 receptions, as well as receiving yards with 454 and TD catches with four. Brian Robinson Jr. holds the team lead in rushing with 396 yards on 85 carries (4.7 ypc) and six TDs. LB Bobby Wagner leads the tackles with 62, while Dante Fowler is the sacks leader with 4 1/2. Benjamin St-Juste leads in pass breakups.

Injury Report: The Bears are without S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) and CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring). DE Jake Martin (toe) and RB Travis Homer (toe) returned to action from injured reserve.

For Commanders, OL Brandon Coleman is out (concussion) and Daniels is questionable.

Matching: The Bears rank 24th in rushing, 20th in passing and 24th in rushing. They are in 12th place in the points rankings. Chicago’s defense ranks fifth overall, seventh against the pass and 11th against the run. They are fourth in fewest points allowed.

The Commanders rank fourth in rushing, 14th in passing and third in rushing. They continue to lead the NFL in scoring with 218 points. Washington’s defense ranks 16th against the pass, 12th and 18th in stopping the run. They are 15th in fewest points allowed.

Notes: The Bears will be on their first four-game winning streak since 2018, when they won the last NFC North title. … The teams the Bears have beaten have a combined record of 6-20. … Williams has the best win-loss record after six games for the No. 1 draft pick at QB in league history. … The Bears are plus-6 in turnover differential, the Commanders are plus-3. … Wagner has five or more steals in 19 straight games. … Commanders are 3-0 at home for the first time since 2005. If they win, it will be 4-0 at home for the first time since 1978.

Notable Individual Matches

Bears WR DJ Moore vs. Commanders CB Mike Sainristil.

The Commanders’ top cornerback is a rookie out of Michigan and was ranked only 50th in the league by Pro Football Focus. PFF says he gave up a 115.9 passer rating when targeted and had one interception. At 5-10, 182 pounds, he doesn’t give up too much size, according to Moore. Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three TDs against the Commanders last year with a different defensive scheme. Moore was targeted the least number of times in the game against Jacksonville all season; only five times. Moore has 28 catches for 451 yards and five TDs in five games against the Commanders.

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Bears CB Jaylon Johnson vs. Commanders WR Terry McLaurin.

According to Stathead/Pro Football Reference, Jaylon Johnson’s passer rating remains an obscene 27.3. This year, he allowed 10 completions on 20 targets for 11.1 yards per catch and 5.6 yards per target. Johnson hasn’t allowed a goal this year and has allowed three goals in the last three seasons. It seems unwise to think that the Bears defense would have Johnson chasing McLaurin all game long. McLaurin has been targeted at least 120 times over the past four years, averaging seven goals per game this year. His 71.4% catch rate per target is the highest of his career. Both Johnson and McLaurin are 6-foot-4, but the 210-pound McLaurin has a 14-pound weight edge.

Bears DE Montez Sweat vs Commanders T Andrew Wylie

Sweat is facing his former team and is off to a slower start this year with just 2 1/2 in sacks and nine in pressures. He had 12 1/2 sacks and 40 pressures last year. However, its impact was felt as the defensive line improved due to the opponents’ double teaming, leaving only a single protection area for other players. Sweat has a pass win rate of 17% according to PFF, which ranks 19th best among all forward rushers. Wylie, a former Chiefs player, is familiar with Sweat since he spent a season with the Commanders after coming over from Kansas City. Among all tackles in the league this year, he ranks 45th according to PFF and 44th in pass blocking. He had five penalties and no sacks, allowing one QB hit and 10 pressures.

Bears LB Tremaine Edmunds vs. Commanders TE Zach Ertz

At times Edmunds can be on Ertz in seam route coverage or short patterns as he drives to the ball. The 6-5, 250-year-old Ertz is nearly 34 years old and not the infield speed threat he once was. Edmunds would have a huge speed advantage, as would safety Elijah Hicks. But Hicks is 5-11, 200 pounds and would be a size mismatch when trying to guard Ertz. Edmunds 6-5, 250. Jack Sanborn could also be guarding Ertz on base defense. Edmunds has a passer rating of 59.9 and has given up just 7.9 yards per catch against him. Ertz featured in the Cardinals offense under Kliff Kingsbury in 2021 and 2022, posting his best yards per catch since 2017 at 10.7. He has 25 receptions on 34 targets.

Bears DT Andrew Billings vs. Commanders G Sam Cosmi

Billings is an effective all-around defender for the Bears, and ESPN rates his pass conversion rate as 5th in the league at 15%. His run stopping has taken a step back this year, according to PFF, but Billings has been there to help with big stops inside. Cosmi ranked seventh in the league as a pass blocker among guards. The 6-foot-1, 309-pounder is having his best season in the league, per PFF grade, and has allowed one sack and nine pressures this year.

Bears WR Keenan Allen vs. Commanders CB Noah Igbinoghene

At 5-11, 197, Igbinoghene is bigger than most slot players and could match up with the 6-2, 211-pound Allen in those circumstances. Allen began to be heard as a third threat in the final game and played a key role in extending the Bears’ drives. Igbinoghene has a passer rating of 101.5, which is for a corner kick, and has allowed 20 of 30 completions.

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