The Washington Commanders had a win in sight to take the rematch over the Chicago Bears, but they watched it slip right out of their hands at the end of the game.
Turnovers are one of many reasons why the Commanders lost this game, and there's one play specifically that completely altered the outcome. We know quarterback Jayden Daniels is a leader of the team and the ultimate competitor, but he didn't hold back on his fumble that allowed the Bears to win the game.
The Commanders had the ball with three minutes left, before a handoff to Bill Croksey-Merritt ended up in the hands of the Bears' defense.
FUMBLE! BEARS BALL!
— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2025
CHIvsWAS on ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN App pic.twitter.com/l6Ps1NW7Kj
It's not easy to come off the field fresh off a heartbreaking loss like that, when the Commanders fought back after being down double-digits early, and face the media and have to explain what happened, but that's part of the game. Daniels spoke about the fumble at the end of the game, and he put all the responsibilities on his shoulders.
"I just lost the ball," Daniels said. "Completely my fault. I didn't even give Bill [Croskey Merritt] a chance. That was my fault. I'm not going to sit up here and blame it on the elements. I mean, at the end of the day, I got to focus. I get paid to go out there and focus on playing the play out. And I had a lack of focus right there, and it cost us a game."
"You're not gonna win many football games in this league if you're losing the turnover margin. So shout out to the Bears and shout out to their defense. They did their job. They got the ball back for the offense to get extra possessions. And you know, you're not gonna win games like that."
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
Daniels will obviously be hard on himself between the early interception, where he got aggressive in the red zone, and the fumble that led to the Bears' winning field goal, but that's all uncharacteristic of what we've seen from him, and we know he will learn from it and keep moving forward.
The team is now on the other side of a heartbreaking loss, after the roles were reversed last season, so we have to see how the team responds with two tough road games coming up against the Dallas Cowboys and the Kansas City Chiefs.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!