Washington Commanders Survive Late Bears Charge

CHICAGO -- The Washington Commanders improved to 2-4 after beating the Chicago Bears (2-4) 12-7 on a windy Thursday night in Chicago.

The Commanders won't apologize for the aesthetics. They didn't need to look pretty, they just needed to win.

And that's all they did. Whether or not this win over the Bears gets their season pointed in the right direction remains to be seen. There's plenty of work that remains after this victory. They commit too many penalties -- 27 in three games. They don't score many points -- 47 in the past four games.

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But, for now, it allows the Commanders (2-4) to exhale after losing four consecutive games. For a franchise in which every week seems to bring a new round of issues, winning provides a necessary salve.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Washington punted after failing to convert on third down yet again. But it turned out to be a beneficial move. Returner Velus Jones Jr., fumbled the punt and rookie Christian Holmes recovered the ball on the 6-yard line. Two runs by rookie Brian Robinson later, Washington took a 12-7 lead.

Washington will host Green Bay next on October 23. Chicago is at New England on October 24.