The Bears trailed 9-0 at halftime after being outgained by the Commanders 267-90 in the first half. With the offense struggling, the defense kept the game close by forcing Washington to settle for Austin Seibert field goals of 27, 30 and 28 yards after reaching the Chicago 7, 7 and 9.
After their first three possessions resulted in punts, the Bears turned the ball over on downs at their own 40 when DJ Moore was tackled for no gain after a catching a quick pass from Williams on fourth-and-1.
The Bears picked up three first downs on their final drive of the first half, reaching the Commanders’ 23. But on third-and-12 from the 25, Williams was sacked for a 15-yard loss, knocking them out of field-goal range.
In the first half, Williams completed 3 of 8 passes for 38 yards.
Midway through the third quarter, McLaurin turned a screen pass into an apparent 32-yard touchdown. But the play was nullified by a penalty for an illegal man downfield.
After Montez Sweat sacked Daniels on third-and-2, the Commanders settled for Seibert’s 47-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 12-0.
The Bears followed by reaching the 50. But on third-and-2, Williams’ 7-yard completion to Moore was negated by an illegal formation penalty. After a false start pushed the offense back five more yards, Williams failed to connect with Keenan Allen deep and the Bears were forced to punt.
After the defense forced a three-and-out, Swift’s 56-yard touchdown run cut the deficit to 12-7 with :43 left in the third quarter.
Swift bounced outside and raced down the left sideline, picking up blocks by tight end Cole Kmet and left tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who had entered the game in the first half when Braxton Jones exited with a knee injury.
The Commanders had an opportunity to extend their lead, but Seibert missed a 51-yard field goal attempt.
The Bears had their first chance to take the lead midway through the final period, but on third-and-goal from the 1, Williams attempted to hand off to Doug Kramer Jr., an offensive lineman who was lined up at fullback on the play. But Kramer never secured the ball, and the Commanders recovered the fumble at the 3 with 6:18 remaining.
Johnson’s TD capped off a 10-play, 62-yard drive that include Williams completions of 16 yards to Rome Odunze and 22 yards to Allen after the rookie escapws pressure and scrambled to his right before throwing back across his body.
Washington’s final drive started at their own 24 with 19 seconds to play. After Daniels threw an incomplete pass on first down, he connected on throws of 11 yards to Zach Ertz and 13 yards to McLaurin to set up the game-winning Hail Mary.
The loss dropped the Bears to 4-3 and snapped a three-game win streak. They’ll be on the road again next Sunday to battle the Cardinals in Arizona.