
Any NFL coach will tell you winning the turnover battle is the key to winning the game, but the Washington Commanders were set up well to defeat the Chicago Bears with two turnovers to Chicago’s zero.
A third turnover proved to be one too many.
A fumble on a botched exchange between Jayden Daniels and Jacory Croskey-Merritt gave the Bears a chance to go down the field and win in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter, and that is precisely what Chicago did, prevailing 25-24 at drizzly Northwest Stadium.
Here’s a closer look at how turnovers doomed the Commanders on “Monday Night Football.”
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Jayden Daniels fumble vs. Bears
The Bears scored an early touchdown off a Croskey-Merritt fumble, and it initially appeared as though Croskey-Merritt fumbled away a chance to ice the game late in the fourth quarter. A closer look at the play revealed Croskey-Merritt never had control of the ball at all because Daniels botched the exchange.
FUMBLE! BEARS BALL!
CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/l6Ps1NW7Kj— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
Daniels appeared to lose his grip on the wet ball earlier than he would’ve liked, and it was already falling to the field as Croskey-Merritt closed his arms to grab it.Â
The fumble would be credited to Daniels, his second turnover of the game, and it set up the Bears at about their own 43-yard line needing only a field goal to win the game.
With barely more than three minutes remaining, the Commanders were in Bears territory and driving with the chance to either extend their lead to five, ice the game with a touchdown or even run out the clock if the circumstances aligned. Instead, Caleb Williams was given a chance to put last season’s Hail Mary loss behind him.
Williams and the Bears picked up every yard they could before giving an embattled Jake Moody a chance to kick a game-winning field in his first game with the team, and Moody was able to sent one through from 38 yards out to give Chicago its third consecutive win.
After the game, Daniels took ownership of the botched exchange.
“I just lost the ball. Completely my fault,” Daniels said. “Didn’t give Bill a chance.”
Jayden Daniels on the late fumble – I lost the ball. Completely my fault. I didn’t give Bill a chance pic.twitter.com/3k5SNuID5u
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 14, 2025
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How many points did the Bears score off turnovers?
Turnovers decided Monday night’s game, as the Bears scored 13 of their 25 points off of Commanders turnovers.
Chicago turned an early Daniels interception into a field goal, and Croskey-Merritt coughed up a fumble on the first play of the Commanders’ next drive. That opportunity was converted into the first touchdown of the night for the Bears.
The Commanders unleashed a 24-3 run after falling behind 13-0, but Daniels’ fumble allowed the Bears to take their lead back after a D’Andre Swift touchdown trimmed Chicago’s deficit to two.
Daniels’ interception Monday was his first of the season, though he missed a third of the Commanders’ first six games due to injury.
