The Shawn Mackey Show — Season 2, Episode 12: Bears vs. Commanders

Well hello, ladies and gentlemen. Shawn Mackey here with the Shawn Mackey Show, Season 2, Episode 12 — Bears versus Commanders, plus a little NCAA Top 25 talk.

Where do we start with that Bears game? I’ll tell you what — at the very beginning, I liked what I saw. The Bears were able to pick up some run yards early, and Jake Moody’s kick got them on the board. Caleb Williams showed some poise in the pocket and looked solid early on.

As the game went on, though, things got tight. Credit to the Bears — Caleb Williams led them down in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning field goal. Chicago beat the Commanders 25–24 — the exact same score as when they beat the Raiders earlier this season. Crazy stuff.

Now, I had some issues with the officiating, as did many fans. The penalties were ridiculous. Even on Bears Wire, the “studs and duds” feature called out the officiating. Some of those flags were flat-out bad — like the illegal formation call on Theo Benedett that even Troy Aikman and the broadcast ref said was fine. That call wiped out a beautiful Rome Odunze touchdown.

Odunze made an incredible catch — locked up with a defender who probably should’ve been flagged for holding — and still brought it down in bounds. Instead, the refs throw a flag and take it away. Terrible call.

First quarter, I liked what I saw from the Bears’ offensive line. They were pushing the defense around, and it turned into DeAndre Swift’s best rushing day as a Bear: 14 carries, 108 yards, plus 67 receiving yards and a touchdown. Great all-around day for Swift.

There were some injuries — DJ Moore had to spend the night in a Washington hospital for precautionary reasons with a possible groin issue. Caleb Williams still needs to work on his short passes and checkdowns. Sometimes he zings it in too hard or throws it low.

Now, about the officiating — not just in this game, but across the league. That UTEP report came out suggesting bias in Chiefs playoff games. The league denied it, of course, saying refs are graded every week and assigned on merit. But you still can’t help but wonder. It’s entertainment, after all, and poor officiating absolutely tilts the scales.

At times, I was wondering where the Bears defense went. I even posted about it — one series they sack Daniels, then on third and 12 they rush four and he scrambles for a first down. Where’s the containment? Kyler Gordon returned this week but graded out poorly on Bears Wire — a 52.2, one of the worst on defense.

Bears Wire also had Caleb Williams graded at 46.1 offensively — one of the lowest on the team. I think that’s harsh. If that Odunze touchdown stands, his grade jumps way up. Overall, I thought Caleb had a better game than Jaden Daniels.

Daniels went 19 of 26 for 263 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Caleb went 17 of 29 for 252 yards with two total touchdowns, one rushing. Statistically close — but Caleb made the key drive at the end.

Now, there’s been chatter about Troy Aikman criticizing Caleb Williams. I didn’t catch it live — I’m usually yelling at the TV during bad calls — but people started comparing Aikman’s first 22 games to Caleb’s. Check this out:

• Caleb Williams: 4,720 yards, 29 TDs, 8 INTs, 90.0 rating, 62.3% completions.
• Troy Aikman: 3,765 yards, 17 TDs, 33 INTs, 59.1 rating, 53.8% completions.

So Aikman should probably ease up. Caleb’s numbers are stronger across the board. If his trajectory continues, that’s Hall of Fame potential right there.

Now, let’s talk about my “Greats and Ain’ts” for this week — my version of studs and duds.

Greats

• DeAndre Swift: 108 rushing yards, 67 receiving, 1 TD. His best game as a Bear.
• Darnell Wright: Playing through injury, constantly leading blocks downfield. Monster performance.
• Theo Benedett: Graded low by Bears Wire, but that penalty wasn’t his fault. Tremendous improvement.
• Devin Duvernay: Five kick returns for 120 yards — averaging nearly 25 a return. He’s due to break one soon.
• Scott Daly (Long Snapper): Nailed it in the clutch. In cold, wet conditions, you need reliability — and he delivered.

Ain’ts

• Kyler Gordon: Rusty after returning from injury. Missed some plays and gave up a score.
• Naishon Wright: A couple costly penalties and inconsistent coverage.

Overall, though, the Bears’ offensive line looked better than it has in weeks. They rushed for 145 yards as a team, which shows serious progress.

Next up — the 1–5 Saints. I’ll be broadcasting from a different location next week, trying out a new format. Always learning, always improving.

Now, shifting gears a bit — let’s talk NCAA rankings. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: this year’s AP Top 25 is a mess. Total inconsistency.

Two-loss Notre Dame is ranked 13th after losing to #2 Miami and #4 Texas A&M. Meanwhile, two-loss Illinois — who lost to #1 Ohio State and #3 Indiana — dropped completely out of the AP poll. How does that make sense?

The Coaches Poll has Illinois at #25, which seems far more logical. Those coaches are around the game every day. Reporters? They’re not at every matchup, and sometimes it shows in these rankings.

Ohio State stays #1, but they’ve had some close calls that make you question their dominance. Miami stays at #2, Indiana climbs to #3, and Oregon drops from #3 to #8 after losing to Indiana.

All of this just reinforces my point — I trust the AFCA Coaches Poll more. The coaches are boots-on-the-ground football minds. The AP writers? Sometimes it feels like they’re throwing darts at a board.

Anyway, that’s where I’m leaving it this week. Another wild game, another week of chaos in college football.

Next week, we’ll see if the Bears can make it four in a row.

Bear down — peace, I’m out like Sprout.