WASHINGTON (AP) — Stop me if you've heard this before: The Washington Commanders got off to a slow start, and their defense had plenty of trouble tackling.
Yes, neither of those is a new development for the 2025 Commanders. The problem this time, in a 25-24 loss to the Chicago Bears — but not, coach Dan Quinn hopes, again next Sunday at the NFC East rival Dallas Cowboys — was that, in addition to those recurring issues, Washington (3-3) also had trouble running and stopping the run and kept giving the ball away.
That included two turnovers by star quarterback Jayden Daniels, whose first interception of the season arrived on a bad underthrow with a receiver open in the end zone Monday night and whose first fumble came when he and running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt couldn't connect properly on a handoff with about three minutes left in the game.
The Bears took that gift and turned it into Jake Moody’s go-ahead field goal on the last play.
Daniels took responsibility for that final flub, saying he lost focus.
“I'm not surprised that he said that. I had texts that we exchanged today; I won't share that,” Quinn said Tuesday, “Just about how important it is how he plays. And I'm certain he'll learn from it.”
The beginning of the evening wasn't great, either: Washington trailed Chicago 13-0 less than a minute into the second quarter. It was the fourth time in six games that the Commanders trailed by double digits early — twice by 10-0 and once by 14-0.
They're 1-3 after getting themselves into such situations.
Chris Moore. The 10th-year receiver had three catches for 46 yards and his first NFL touchdown since 2022. The three receptions matched the number he accumulated through the first five games. Moore was criticized throughout the week on social media by Commanders fans who focused on the would-be TD pass that went through his hands in Washington’s previous game.
The defense. Things did seem to be looking up for defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. when Washington held Justin Herbert and the Chargers without a point after the first quarter in Week 5. But there were plenty of issues against Chicago, including an inability to stop the run: D'Andre Swift gained 108 yards on 14 carries, including 34 of the 36 yards on the game-ending drive. Nothing stood out quite as much as Quan Martin's inability to stop Swift near the sideline on what turned into a 55-yard catch-and-run TD pass from Caleb Williams. Quinn called the whiff by Martin “unfortunate.” ... The Commanders are adding DE Drake Jackson, according to his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. Jackson, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, was waived with a failed physical designation by the 49ers in May after missing the previous 1 1/2 seasons with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee. Jackson played 23 games for San Francisco in 2022-23 with six sacks — including three in one game.
Luke McCaffrey. The second-year receiver out of Rice — and younger brother of San Francisco 49ers star Christian — has scored a touchdown in three of the past four games after not getting into the end zone once in his first 19 career NFL contests. McCaffrey's 33-yard TD catch against Chicago was his only target. “I was happy that we called it,” McCaffrey said about the scoring play, which was set up by a pump-fake by Daniels. “We’d had that one in the bag for a couple of weeks.”
Croskey-Merritt. A week after a breakout performance by the rookie — the seventh-round draft pick rushed for 111 yards on 14 carries, a 7.9-yard average, with two TDs at LA — the guy everyone calls “Bill” turned in a dud. Forget for a moment that he only gained 61 yards on 17 carries, which works out to just 3.6 a pop, against a run defense ranked 31st out of the league's 32 clubs. Far worse was Croskey-Merritt's fumble in a second consecutive game. And that was before his bad exchange with Daniels.
The status of two of Washington's top three receivers, Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown, is going to be worth keeping an eye on this week. McLaurin (quadriceps) missed the past three games; Brown (knee, groin) sat out four in a row. Something else to monitor: Can starting right guard Sam Cosmi make his season debut next Sunday? He's been out since injuring a knee ligament during last season's playoffs.
3 — Turnovers committed by Washington against Chicago, equaling the total number the Commanders gave up across their first five games combined.
Washington has alternated wins and losses all season going into Sunday's game at Dallas (2-3-1).
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) gets away from Washington Commanders defensive end Jacob Martin (55) during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) is tackled by Chicago Bears defensive lineman Chris Williams (91) with cornerback Kyler Gordon (6) and safety Jaquan Brisker (9) nearby during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22)fumbles the ball as he is hit by Chicago Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Pacific Northwest residents braced for another round of heavy rain Wednesday after a powerful storm clobbered the region the day before, swelling rivers, closing roads and prompting high water rescues.
Rivers across the western part of Washington were on the rise again after a brief morning lull, the National Weather Service said in a social media post, warning people to travel with caution. Major or record flooding was expected along the Skagit and Snohomish rivers north of Seattle, and overtopping of levees was possible, the National Water Center said.
Schools announced closings and delays over flooding concerns, the center said, and some roads were closed due to landslides. Widespread flooding of rivers and urban areas for parts of northern Oregon was also possible.
By early Wednesday, some areas in the Cascade mountain range in Washington were reporting “impressive” rain rates near or exceeding a half-inch (1.2 centimeters) per hour, the weather service posted on X. Paradise on Mount Rainier picked up 3.25 inches (8.2 centimeters) of rain in 10 hours, it said.
On Tuesday, a storm caused power outages, flooding and school closures in parts of Oregon and Washington. Drivers had to navigate debris slides and water that closed roads and submerged vehicles.
Fire officials northeast of Seattle said rescue crews used inflatable kayaks to pull people from stranded cars, and carried another person about a mile (1.6 kilometers) to safety after they were trapped in the woods by rising water.
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said in a post on X on Tuesday night that the state’s Emergency Operations Center had moved to its highest activation level because of the rain and wind.
Forecasters warned that the worst river flooding was still to come. The Skagit River near the town of Concrete in northern Washington was forecast to rise more than 15 feet (4.6 meters) above major flooding levels by Thursday, which would break a record, according to the National Water Prediction Service.
Harrison Rademacher, a meteorologist with the weather service in Seattle, described the atmospheric river soaking the region as “a jet stream of moisture” stretching across the Pacific Ocean “with the nozzle pushing right along the coast of Oregon and Washington.”
The weather service forecast several days of heavy rainfall along the coast and more than a foot (30 centimeters) of new snow in the northern Rockies in northwestern Wyoming. Flood watches were in effect, with scattered flash flooding possible along the coast and into the Cascade Range through midweek.
Along Interstate 5 between Seattle and Portland, firefighters conducted five rescues for people who tried to drive on flooded roads, including a semitruck driver, said Malachi Simper, spokesperson for Lewis County Fire Protection District #5. Authorities also rescued a family of six from their home in Chehalis, he said, adding that the road to the house was under about 4 feet (1.2 meters) of water at the time. None of those rescued were injured, he said.
Deputies in Washington were knocking on doors in certain neighborhoods to warn residents of imminent flooding, and evacuated a mobile home park along the Snohomish River. The city of Snohomish issued an emergency proclamation due to flooding, while in Auburn, south of Seattle, workers installed temporary flood control barriers along the White River.
On the Columbia River, farther south near the Oregon border, the city of Longview said it was opening a severe weather shelter Tuesday night.
Another storm system is expected to bring rain to the region starting Sunday, Rademacher said. “The pattern looks pretty unsettled going up to the holidays.”
In southeast Alaska, an arctic blast could bring wind chills as low as minus 50 degrees (minus 45.6 Celsius) in Skagway and minus 15 degrees (minus 26 Celsius) in the capital, Juneau, according to the weather service.
Meanwhile, a fast-moving storm across the Upper Midwest on Tuesday brought freezing rain, high winds and heavy snow.
Weather forced some schools to close or move to virtual lessons.
Parts of central and northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin saw heavy snow, with a mix of winter weather across the Twin Cities metro and southwest Minnesota. St. Cloud, Minnesota, got nearly 6 inches (15 centimeters) of snow by Wednesday morning, the weather service said.
The storm was heading into the Great Lakes region on Wednesday. Parts of upstate New York near Lake Ontario, including the western Adirondacks, were under a winter storm warning, with heavy snow expected.
A flag ripples in the wind as snow falls in Lowville, New York, on Tuesday night, Dec. 9, 2025. The area faces a winter storm warning through Thursday. (AP Photo/Cara Anna)
Floodwaters surround homes and buildings after heavy rains, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Chehalis, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Maery Schine, 11, is helped out of a rescue boat by rescue workers with Chehalis Fire after evacuating with her father Patric, second from left, following flooding after heavy rains in the region Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Chehalis, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
A man checks on a car caught in flooding after heavy rains Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Napavine, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Chehalis Fire rescue workers help residents evacuate their flooded neighborhood after heavy rains in the region Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025, in Chehalis, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
