Nobody fully grasped what was happening until the final second of the game. Everybody knew the story. The Chicago Bears were haunted by what happened in that stadium last year. It was eerie how similar the setup was. They went into Washington out of the bye week, took the lead late in the 4th quarter only for the Commanders to stun the football world with a Hail Mary touchdown. It catapulted them to the NFC championship and sent the Bears into a death spiral that saw them lose every game until the season finale in Green Bay.
Yet here they were, trailing 24-22 with a 38-yard field goal coming up. If it went in, they’d exorcize all of those demons. Incredibly, the story went even deeper. It centered on the man making the kick. Jake Moody was considered a major league bust after the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the 3rd round two years ago. He’d struggled a lot last season and missed two of his first three kicks this year. That ultimately got him cut.
Still, the Bears felt he had enough talent to explore. Almost on cue, an injury to Cairo Santos thrust him into the lineup. Everybody feared another case of mental crumbling. Instead, Moody came up huge, hitting on four field goals, including the pivotal one as time expired.
The Chicago Bears never stopped believing.
It took a lot of guts to sign Moody when they did. He was considered radioactive at the time, and the Chicago Bears were lambasted for the move. They shrugged it off, believing the young kicker might benefit from a change of scenery. The coaches didn’t flinch, putting him into the lineup rather than letting Santos kick. Remember, he was questionable for the game. He might’ve been able to go if necessary. Coach Johnson made him inactive and put Moody into the lineup. Such uncompromising trust was rewarded.
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To see a game like this unfold is so rare for the Bears. Usually, it’s other teams getting revenge or redemption at their expense. This time, it was their turn. Moody deserves all the credit in the world for stepping up huge when called upon.