The Washington Commanders ended their four-game losing streak with a dour 12-7 victory over the Chicago Bears in Thursday's late game.
A Washington field goal was the sole scoring play in the first half, until Chicago finally found the end zone on a Dante Pettis reception midway through the third quarter.
The Commanders then drew within one point on a field goal to start the fourth, before a muffed punt by Velus Jones enabled Washington to claim the decisive score on Brian Robinson's 1-yard run.
It was 23-year-old Robinson's first start in the NFL and came just six weeks after he had been shot twice in the leg during an attempted robbery.
Touchdown @BrianR_4. What a moment for him! 🙌#WASvsCHI on Prime Video
— NFL (@NFL) October 14, 2022
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It was a night to forget for both starting quarterbacks, with Carson Wentz amassing just 99 yards in a winning effort, while Justin Fields finished with 190 yards to go along with one touchdown and an interception.
The result marked three losses in a row for Chicago, as well as Washington’s first win since a 28-22 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in round one.
Following the game, Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera delivered an angry answer to a question implying that it was owner Dan Snyder - rather than him - who orchestrated the trade for Wentz in the offseason.
An ESPN investigative report earlier in the day that centred on Snyder said the owner wanted Wentz as a way to mask the issues within his organization.
"Everyone keeps on saying I wanted nothing to do with Carson," Rivera said. "I'm the ******* guy that pulled out the sheets of paper and looked at the analytics and watched the tape in freaking Indianapolis, OK? And that's what pisses me off. The young man doesn't deserve to have that all the time."
Earlier this week, Rivera apologized to Wentz after suggesting the quarterback was the reason the team wasn't leading the NFC East this season.
"I actually talked to Carson this morning," Rivera said Tuesday. "In fact, I talked to the whole team. I had a mea culpa moment and that I should know better. I created a little bit of a distraction, and that's one thing that I try not to do, and it's one thing that I'm very aware of."
