Chicago Bears Finally Win a Game, Magic Johnson Is Not Happy: TNF Takeaways

The longest losing streak in the history of the Chicago Bears is over.

Chicago was 0-4 this season and on a 14-game skid dating back to last year going into Thursday night's matchup against the Washington Commanders. Nearly an entire year had passed since the Bears last won a game. Only four days after blowing a 21-point lead, and as off-field drama continued to make headlines, the Bears finally removed the zero from their win column.

The Bears scored the game's first 17 points, led 27-3 at halftime, and held on for a 40-20 win over the Commanders on Thursday Night Football. Chicago now only has the second-worst record in the National Football League (NFL). Hello, Carolina Panthers.

The Commanders dropped to 2-3 on the season, losing their third straight game.

From a highlight-reel performance courtesy of Bears wide receiver D.J. Moore, to why NBA legend Magic Johnson was upset by Thursday's results, here are five takeaways from Chicago's win over Washington.

Finally Winning a Relief for Bears

Losing, especially 14 games in a row, can take a toll. The Bears needed a win. How badly?

Just ask tight end Cole Kmet.

"Pretty bad, I'm not going to lie," said Kmet, who caught a touchdown against Washington. "I think the emotion I felt literally until...the clock hit zero was relief. It's been a long time coming to get this first win. We've got a lot of talent; we've just got to put it together. These types of performances can carry over, but we have to be able to execute and be in sync as a group."

Chicago opened the season with an 18-point home loss to its rival Green Bay Packers. The Bears failed to mount a fourth-quarter comeback in Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then were blown out in a 31-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3. Suffering what is tied for the largest collapse in franchise history last weekend seemed to make things as bad as they could get in Chicago. Luckily for the Bears, that was rock bottom. For now, at least.

The Bears rebounded Thursday night, scoring 40 points for the first time since the 2020 season.

Dick Butkus Honored in Bears Win

Shortly before kickoff Thursday night, news broke that Chicago Bears legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dick Butkus had died at the age of 80. The eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker was synonymous with the tough, hard-hitting defenses that the Bears have proudly boasted throughout the years.

Former Packers running back MacArthur Lane once said of Butkus, "If I had a choice, I'd sooner go one-on-one with a grizzly bear. I pray that I can get up after every time Butkus hits me."

The 2023 Bears defense certainly hasn't inspired that type of fear in its opponents, allowing the second-most points in the NFL entering Thursday. But the unit did its best to honor Butkus against Washington. Chicago's defense had only recorded two sacks through the first four games of the season, but took down Washington quarterback Sam Howell five times in Week 5. The Bears totaled 11 QB hits, forced two turnovers, and held the Commanders to 29 rushing yards.

Howell threw for 388 yards and two scores against a depleted Bears secondary. That may be slightly inflated considering the Commanders dropped back to pass on 55 consecutive plays, from midway through the second quarter until the end of the game.

"We harped all week on finishing," said Bears cornerback Greg Stroman Jr., a former Commander who picked off Howell. "We do great things as a team. We played well for three strong quarters last week, so just were building off that and that was the message: Build off that and finish."

Magic Johnson Is Not Happy

Los Angeles Lakers icon and Basketball Hall of Famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson is known to be pretty on-the-nose whenever he posts on X (formerly Twitter). The same could be said in the moments after Thursday's game.

The Commanders were sold in the offseason, and Johnson now owns a stake in the franchise. After Washington was dominated for most of the game by a previously winless team, the 12-time All-Star let it be known he was displeased with Washington's effort.

"Tonight the Commanders played with no intensity or fire," his post read. "We didn't compete in the first half and got down 27-3 heading into halftime. It was too big of a hole to climb out of and that is why we ended up losing 40-20."

D.J. Moore's Career Day

Moore was the only Bears wide receiver to catch a pass on Thursday. Turns out, he was all the Chicago offense really needed.

In his fifth game with the franchise after being acquired in an offseason trade, Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. The last of Moore's three scores came on a 56-yard catch-and-run late in the fourth quarter that crushed any hopes of a Commanders comeback. Moore set single-game career-highs in receiving yards and touchdowns.

The 5-foot-11 wide receiver is the first Bears player with 200 yards and three touchdowns from scrimmage in a game since Walter Payton in 1979. Moore's 230 receiving yards are the second-most ever by a Bears receiver in one game.

"This morning I was nervous — out of this world nervous," Moore said postgame. "I guess that was my body telling me that we were about to go off."

Justin Fields finished with 282 yards and four touchdowns on the night. It marked the second straight week the third-year pro had thrown for four scores. Even though the Bears are one game ahead of most teams at this point, Fields is tied for the league lead in touchdown passes (11), while Moore is second in the NFL in receiving yards (531). Their chemistry on Thursday night even caught the attention of LeBron James.

The Bears offense had averaged 298 yards in the first four games but totaled 451 against Washington. Moore paid tribute to Butkus after the game.

Chicago acquired Moore from the Panthers in a trade that centered around the Bears' No. 1 overall pick in April's draft. Carolina used that pick to select quarterback Bryce Young. Recent reports indicate the Panthers are searching for a No. 1 wide receiver to boost their offense. Safe to say, the Bears don't have that problem anymore.

Chase Claypool Traded After Being Inactive Again

The Chase Claypool era in Chicago is over. And it was a short one.

The Bears are sending the wide receiver to the Miami Dolphins in a trade, the teams confirmed Friday morning. Chicago will receive a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Dolphins in exchange for the 25-year-old receiver and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

The first month of the 2023 season has been a drama-filled one for Claypool and the Bears. Claypool's effort had been a talking point, then the receiver questioned whether the Bears were using him properly on offense ahead of Week 4. The former second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers has been a healthy scratch each of the last two games, including against Washington.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles made it clear Thursday night Claypool's time in Chicago was nearing its end.

"I always look at things from a player's perspective," Poles said, ESPN reported. "You have a player going into his free agent year, who wants to be productive and help us, and when things aren't going the right way, sometimes you get emotional, things don't work out and you struggle to blend in and keep resilient and stay resilient with the rest of the crew. I think Chase is going to learn from this situation, we all will, and I wish him luck moving forward throughout his career."

Poles traded a second-round pick, which ended up being the No. 32 overall selection, to the Steelers in exchange for Claypool last season. Claypool played only 10 games in his Bears tenure. The 6-foot-4 receiver caught 18 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown with the franchise.