Much of the hype heading into the Washington Commanders' primetime clash against the Chicago Bears centered on the Hail Mary miracle last season. As fate would have it, it was the NFC North club that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat this time around.
This Monday Night Football contest at Northwest Stadium always looked like it was going to be decided by razor-thin margins. Chicago got the upper hand thanks to another sloppy start from Washington. The Commanders came back into it, and they traded leads before Dan Quinn's squad seized the initiative in the fourth quarter. However, one critical moment turned the tide.
In slippery conditions, needing one yard for a first down to potentially ice the game, Kliff Kingsbury had Jayden Daniels in the shotgun. The snap was brought in, but the handoff to Jacory Croskey-Merritt was botched, and the Bears picked up the fumble.
The rest is history. Kicker Jake Moody, who'd been called up from the practice squad, made the field goal as time expired. The Bears pulled off a stunning success, leaving the Commanders at 3-3 when they could have easily been 4-2.
There is plenty of blame to go around. There is also no time to wallow in self-pity. A trip to the Dallas Cowboys is on the immediate horizon, which now looks like a must-win game for both squads as the respective seasons teeter.
That's for the not-too-distant future. For now, here are three winners and four losers from Washington's third defeat of the campaign.
Winners and losers from Commanders' heartbreaking loss to the Bears
Loser No. 1
Bobby Wagner - Commanders LB
It's time to have a serious conversation about Bobby Wagner's limitations at this late stage of his playing career. They are becoming more glaring by the week, and opposing teams have picked up on them with ruthless efficiency.
In between the B-gaps, the perennial Pro Bowl linebacker remains a force. Wagner can quickly identify developing plays and knows how to get around the action. The tackle numbers speak for themselves, but they don't tell the whole story.
Wagner looks his age in coverage. The Bears frequently tried to exploit that across the middle and got a lot of joy. Things would have been even worse if former Commanders' wideout Olamide Zaccheaus hadn't dropped a makeable catch when there was nothing but daylight in front of him.
The Bears also got whatever they wanted on the ground. While the defensive line (we'll get to them later) deserves a big part of the blame, Wagner struggled to get to the contact point quickly enough when Chicago ran off tackle on either side.
That's a big problem. And it seems as if Father Time might finally be catching up to the future Pro Football Hall of Famer at long last.