Many NFL fans didn’t know what to expect on their way to the Commanders-Bears game on Thursday Night Football. But the matchup managed to live up to something viewers hadn’t seen on TNF in nearly two whole weeks.
After what felt like years of TD-less football on Thursday night, Bears quarterback Justin Fields finally put an end to the viewers’ collective woes with a stunning 40-yard pass to receiver Dante Pettis in the third quarter.
Ironically, Fields’ bomb not only marked the first trip to the end zone on TNF since Week 4, but it also gave Chicago a 7-3 lead. Kicker Joey Slye put Washington first after extending the dubious six-quarter streak with a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter.
Many fans couldn’t believe their eyes once the umpires confirmed Pettis’ dexterous grip, and for good reason. Up to that point there had been 41 possessions without a TD dating back to the last two runs of the Dolphin-Bengal race on September 29.
On a night when both the Bears and Commanders struggled at all stages, both teams seemed destined to continue the dubious streak that defined last week’s “classic,” a slow 12-9 Broncos win over the Colts. Luckily, Fields and Pettis found just enough magic to stop yet another TNF matchup from turning into a pumpkin.
However, given that the clubs combined seven punts for a total of 10 drives in the first half, viewers who made the curious decision to watch the game had no choice but to express their dismay in the run-up to the break.
Based on some of these reactions, it may have been more fun to watch Twitter than the first two quarters of the game.
